Our Family Secret
by Fionuir
Summary: Luna Lovegood has to research an ancestor for a project. When she stumbles across an entry for one Drusilla Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl’s Loopy Challenge.
1. What A Name

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 1/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. And if that means a trip across the pond- well, they do say blood's thicker than water. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. The plot belongs to the wonderful, fantastic, creative GODDESS Gidgetgirl.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 1-

What A Name

Idly Luna reached up to her ear to play with the butter beer corks hanging off it, Professor Trelawney's voice fading to a dull whine in the background. The picture of the Grim in her Divination book gave a little growl at her, and Luna moved her quill so it hovered over it threateningly. "Don't make me write on you," Luna whispered to it.

The Grim put its tail between its legs.

Luna patted the picture on the head with the tip of her index finger and focussed back on her Professor.

"To those who are gifted, the divine secrets of the astral plains are freely available…"

A few seconds told Luna that she hadn't missed anything vital, and so she glanced back down at her book. She moved her quill to the right margin of the book, missing the Grim's shudder of relief. She let her mind drift for a few moments, the quill in her hand scratching little shapes on to the parchment. To an observer it would have looked like Luna was deep in thought writing notes, and that was exactly the effect she was after. Divination was hardly her favourite subject- in fact Luna was at a complete loss to explain why she'd picked it in the first place. Yes, it had sounded romantic and mystical, but it had also sounded like a load of codswallop and wishy-washy nonsense. In her opinion she would have been better off with Arithmancy.

"For some of you, the position of the stars will aid your mind and help you to better understand your homework topic for tonight. But for the rest," here Professor Trelawney paused to give a deeply aggrieved sigh, "I am afraid that both the position of your birth sign and your lack of concentration today will combine to make this topic very hard indeed."

A few girls down the front giggled shrilly, and Professor Trelawney graced them with a benign smile. "You are dismissed."

Luna slammed her book shut and stuffed her quill and inkpot into her book bag. Standing up she looked back down at the desk to pick up her wand.

It wasn't there.

She wasn't overly worried. It was a strange day if at least one of her things wasn't taken.

"Hey, Loony," Graham Doncaster sneered from behind her, and Luna turned to face him.

"Yes, Graham?" She asked calmly, although she knew what he wanted. The prat had her wand, she knew it.

"Looking for something?" He asked with a snicker, his hand coming out from behind his back, her wand twirling between his fingers.

"Please give that back, Graham, History of Magic's next," Luna said in resigned voice. She shouldn't feel upset after all these years, Luna told herself sternly. She should be used to them taking her things. It shouldn't bother her anymore.

"Tell someone who cares," Graham replied snidely, moving to put her wand in his pocket.

"What is happening here?"

Luna had never been so relieved to hear Professor Trelawney's voice.

"Nothing," Graham scowled, and threw Luna back her wand. Luna's reflexes were too slow, though, and the wand fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Typical," Graham snorted, and slouched away.

Luna bent down to pick up the wand and gritted her teeth together. It shouldn't bother her.

"Are you alright, dear?" Trelawney asked, peering forward with her bug-eyes when Luna stood up.

"Oh, yes," Luna answered quickly, her pale eyes widening in surprise at Professor Trelawney's question.

"The inner eye sees all," Professor Trelawney reminded Luna grandly, and Luna felt the sudden urge to roll her eyes. "I think it is time for you to get to class."

"Yes, professor," Luna said, and began stepping backwards in her haste to get away. When her feet hit the trap door, she quickly turned around and climbed down as quickly as possible. Some people said that she was weird, but Luna knew that Trelawney definitely had it all over her.

History of Magic wasn't her favourite class either, Luna reflected as she hurried to get to class on time. Professor Binns wasn't exactly the most inspiring teacher, and the subject he taught wasn't particularly exciting. Her last History of Magic lesson had been fun, though, as Binns had somehow managed to catch a cold. Luna wasn't sure how that was possible, Binns being a ghost and all, but somehow it had happened. The force of Binns' sneezes had made the ghost fly backwards, and every few minutes he would propel through the blackboard.

Luna spied the doorway to the History of Magic classroom at the end of the hallway and hurried to get there before the last students did. She was too late, though, with the last person except for herself settling in to a seat just as she stepped through the door. There was only one desk left, and that one desk was next to Graham Doncaster.

Taking a deep breath, Luna shyly approached the desk. "Is anyone sitting here?"

Graham looked up from talking with his friends to fix Luna with a glare. "Yes, so bugger off."

"Who?" Luna asked. Graham knew as well as her that the entire class was already there.

"None of your business, Loony," Graham replied, and turned back to his friends.

"Miss Lovegood, get to your seat," A very un-Binns like voice said sharply, and Luna scrambled onto the chair just as Professor Snape stepped up to the blackboard. "Professor Binns is in the Infirmary at the moment so I will be your teacher for the time being," he said as way of an introduction before turning back to the blackboard. "Please get out a clean sheet of parchment."

There was a rustle of movement as everyone dived into their book bags for some parchment and a quill. Luna reached into her own and pulled out a rather tattered roll, as well as a sugar quill that hadn't run out. Everyone looked up expectantly at Professor Snape.

"I have looked through your course outline and the topics you have studied and I have been surprised with the amount of assessments you receive," Professor Snape began, and someone let out a groan.

"Five points from Ravenclaw for your attitude, Brookes," Snape shot out lazily, and Luna saw Roland Brookes stifle another groan.

"As you should know if you've been paying attention, you're currently studying wizarding life in the nineteenth century. Due to what you have studied I have found your knowledge of this subject woefully deficient, but owing to time constraints I don't have the time to teach you many of the elements about life in the eighteen-hundreds. I doubt many of you have the brain capacity to understand what I'm saying anyway, so I've decided I not to waste time for the both of us. So," Professor Snape picked up a pile of papers on his desk that Luna hadn't noticed before and handed them to a Hufflepuff to distribute, "I have written an assignment for you that I think will be beneficial. You are to research an ancestor who lived in the nineteenth century- personal details, what their classes and uniforms were like, etc. You will be in pairs- purebloods and muggleborns. This way you will all have an ancestor to research, even if you are the first of your family to come to Hogwarts." Professor Snape's gaze went around the room, sizing each one of them up. "It's due in two weeks. I would advise those of you who are less academically inclined to make the most of this assessment- it will be the easiest you will get in this class from now on."

"Wot? You mean Professor Binns isn't coming back?" Roland asked before he could help himself.

"Another ten points, Brookes, for not putting up your hand and for not listening to me when I explained my purpose here earlier. As I mentioned before, Professor Binns is in the infirmary for an undisclosed period of time. As I am the only teacher whose free classes match these ones, I will be taking you until further notice." Petra Spinelli handed a sheet to Luna before moving on to Graham. Luna looked down at the piece of parchment.

History of Magic 

_-Wizarding Life in the Nineteenth Century_

In pairs, research the life of… 

The words began to blur in front of her. Luna had practically switched off the moment she heard Snape utter the words 'in pairs', and seeing it written in front of her made it worse.

She dreaded partner assignments for two reasons; one, no-one ever wanted to go with her; and two, she never wanted to go with anyone either. Teachers didn't take requests to work by your own well though, Luna thought ruefully, and she lifted her eyes from the parchment in front of her to glance half-heartedly around the room for possible partners.

"Well? What are you waiting for for? Get in partners!" Snape's voice rang out, and Luna slowly lifted herself to her feet. All around her people were dashing about finding partners, and they rapidly seemed to be pairing off. Luna decided to get her act together before she had to go with someone like Graham. Her eyes rested on Petra, who standing by herself. Bracing herself for a rebuttal, Luna walked quickly towards her. "Are you with anyone, Petra?" Luna asked as soon as she was close enough.

"Er," Petra blanched, and looked around wildly for a partner.

"Petra, want to be partners?" Another Hufflepuff girl interrupted, and with a grateful look on her face Petra accepted. "Er, sorry Loon-Luna."

"Doesn't matter," Luna muttered, as the people in pairs began to sit down. Soon there were only a few left; less now; only three people-

Luna went as stiff as a statue as she realised she was the only person left standing. Her palms went clammy and her eyes dropped to look at the ground.

"Where's your partner, Miss Lovegood-oh, you haven't one," Snape's unsurprised tone of voice made Luna more miserable. "Never mind. You're a pureblood, aren't you?"

Luna nodded: yes.

"Work by yourself then. I just hope you're better at History of Magic than you are at Potions- that shouldn't be hard, though."

There were a few sniggers.

"Yes, sir," Luna answered miserably, and trudged back to her desk. She tried to make her face as cool and blank as possible- it was hard, but it meant she wouldn't get teased as much for being partnerless than she would be if she was partnerless and crying about it.

"Please get out the parchment I asked for earlier. There's a simple spell that will allow you to trace back your ancestors without researching through hundreds of old books."

Moving Professor Snape's sheet to one side, Luna looked down at the one he had requested for.

"Hold your wand firmly and say, '_Faminvenio_."

Holding her wand in her right hand, Luna pointed at the centre of the parchment and said firmly, "_Faminvenio_!"

Nothing happened for a moment, and Luna wilted a bit. Something else for her housemates to tease her about. Suddenly, a little pinprick of ink appeared at the bottom of the parchment. Luna bent close for a better look. The blot of ink became bigger, and Luna could just make out her own name. Two tiny lines branched off, and Luna watched as her parents' names took shape. Luna moved back a bit as the spider web of black names expanded on her parchment. Sounds of amazement from other tables told her that everyone else was watching their family tree grow as well.

"_Finite Incantatem_ to stop the spell when you find an ancestor in the eighteen-hundreds!" Professor Snape's voice rang out, and Luna looked to her left to find Roland Brooks' family tree had trickled down the desk and was rapidly branching out on the floor. "Idiot boy!" Snape was hissing, looking slightly beleaguered, "Do you how hard it is to get ink off these desks?"

Luna looked back to her own family tree. Squinting to read the spindly writing, Luna spotted a few dates in the eighteen-hundreds and began to follow the path of her family tree more carefully. As soon as a date in the seventeen-hundreds appeared she said softly, "_Finite Incantatem_!"

Instantly the family tree stopped growing, as if the 'off' button had been switched. Luna lifted the parchment up to her face to get a better look. "Wow," she whispered. Every square inch was covered in names and dates. Luna hadn't really given much thought to her ancestors before. The Lovegoods weren't the type of family that cared about bloodlines, and they didn't have a family tree on a tapestry or on the inside of a bible somewhere. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy," her father always said. "I don't care if you fall in love with a goblin- just as long as you like him."

"I have a feeling some of you will be surprised with your ancestors," Professor Snape cut in to Luna's ramblings. She looked up curiously. "I'm afraid some bloodlines aren't as pure as they think they are."

Everyone turned to look at the Slytherins in the class, who were sitting by themselves at the back. They all scowled, and Luna quickly looked back towards the front.

"Pick a name, any one. I've booked this class into the library for the rest of the lesson, so choose one now and then you won't have an excuse for wasting time."

Luna looked back down at the parchment and felt her heart sink. There were so many names it was hard to pick one. It was the luck of the draw, really, Luna thought to herself. She could pick someone who was a virtual unknown with no records; or, on the other hand, she could pick someone who was really well known and had entire books devoted to them. In the end, Luna decided she'd choose the person who had the most interesting name, and by Merlin, there were some shockers. Thomasine Cantolina Lovegood? Dorianne Hester Parsons? Lothar Montgomery Gill? Drusilla Rose Kent? Drusilla Rose Kent wasn't actually that bad, she had to admit, but 'Drusilla'? Who in their right mind would name their child Drusilla? She couldn't talk though- her own full name was Luna Mildred Lovegood.

Luna looked down at Drusilla's birth date- 4th April, 1847. There was no date of death.

Luna's curiosity was piqued. How could someone's death date not show up on a magic family tree? That was the entire point of using magic for the project- it could find out details like that even if they were never reported to the ministry.

Luna's mother had always told her curiosity killed the cat, and Luna had always believed her, especially after her mother's inquisitiveness got her killed. But Luna couldn't see anything overly dangerous about Drusilla Kent, and so she mind up her mind that finding out about Drusilla Kent would be her new project.

&&&&&&

There was nothing about a Drusilla Rose Kent in the school records. Luna had looked and looked and looked. She had thought that perhaps Drusilla was a muggle- but then she remembered she would have had to be something magical to block the family tree spell. Finally, when she'd almost decided to choose another ancestor, Luna discovered a name in one of the school records, almost covered by the loopy script of the name written above it.

_1860 Drusilla Rose Kent- Sorted to Ravenclaw_

That was all. It also explained why Luna hadn't found her yet- Drusilla had been thirteen when she'd first arrived at Hogwarts. Luna wondered why. Maybe she'd been out of the country the year she'd turned eleven; or maybe she'd been ill.

That was probably a mystery that would remain unsolved, Luna decided, and left it at that. There were more interesting things- Drusilla had been in Ravenclaw! Logically Luna knew that houses shouldn't matter, but she was glad Drusilla was in the same house as she was. In a strange way it made her feel more connected to her.

Crossing over to another shelf, Luna stopped in front of a long row of blue, leather-bound books. These were the Ravenclaw house records- anyone who had ever been in Ravenclaw was listed here. The records were in alphabetical order, and so Luna went straight to the K-L book. She pulled it out, staggering slightly with its weight, and wobbled back to her desk. She flipped to the 'K' section, looking for Kent.

It wasn't very hard to find. Kent was quite a common name after all. After a little more looking, Luna found the entry for Drusilla.

Drusilla Rose Kent 1860-1861 

_Subjects Taken: Transfiguration_

_Potions_

_Charms_

_Herbology_

_Protection Against Dark Arts_

Another shock. Drusilla had only been at Hogwarts for a year. What could have happened to her? Perhaps she caught a sickness and died, Luna thought romantically. The more mundane explanation was probably that her parents had taken her out. She'd come late and left early, Luna surmised. Curious. Luna dropped down to the rest of the entry. It was Drusilla's report for that year. Hogwarts had used to record all the marks and comments about a student in the house records, but had stopped about thirty years ago when too many people had complained. After all, no one wanted strangers to look through their school reports. Luckily for Luna, though, Drusilla's records were all intact. She was an average student, Luna found, much like herself. Her teachers wrote that Drusilla didn't concentrate in class and appeared to be lost in her own world. People had written that about Luna as well.

As Professor Snape ordered them to pack up, Luna's mind was fixed on Drusilla. What had happened to her?

&&&&&

Dumbledore's Army were sitting around having a well-earned rest.

"Hey Luna," Neville Longbottom said unexpectedly, "Can you show me that spell Snape taught you in History?"

Luna nodded, "Of course. But why do you want it?"

"I'm curious. I want to know who my ancestors are."

Luna took out her wand from the sleeve of her robe. "Do you have a piece of parchment we can do it on?" She asked him. Neville shook his head.

Hermione had been listening. "Do it on the floor," she suggested. "I know a spell that can remove the ink really easily."

"Okay," Luna turned to Neville. "The spell's 'Faminvenio."

Neville nodded and pointed his wand towards the floor. A few people had come to watch.

"_Faminvenio_!" He cried.

"Nothing happened," someone said, disappointedly. Luna shook her head. "Watch," she said, pointing to what looked like a fleck of mud on the ground. The crowded around to look at it closer. "It's my name," Neville whispered.

Swiftly Neville's family tree began to map out on the ground.

"It'll probably go forever, so say 'Finite Incantatem' to stop it," Luna advised, remembering what had happened to Roland Brooks.

Neville watched it for a moment before saying, "_Finite Incantatem_!"

The map froze.

Neville dropped down on his knees to look at it closely. "This is so cool!" he said, delighted. "I can see my entire family!"

"Fascinating," Hermione muttered, enthralled. She traced some of the names on the stone. "Hey Neville, did you know you had Scandinavian ancestors?"

Neville shook his head. "Nope. Where are they?"

Hermione pointed. "Here. See, one Anders Larsson. He had a sister called Aud."

Ginny had been one of the people to come over and watch. "Aud?" she asked with a twitch of her lips. "What a name."

"The ancestor I'm studying is called Drusilla," Luna chipped in.

"Drusilla?" Ginny gave a very unlady-like snort. "Now that is bad. It's a name from one of those gothic bodice-rippers my mum reads."

"And you read when you think no one's watching," Hermione teased her.

Ginny blushed. "Oh, come one, Hermione. Some of them are quite good."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Give me Hogwarts: A History any day," she replied.

Suddenly, an idea came to Luna. "You might be able to help me, actually, Hermione," she said slowly, thinking it through.

"With what?" Hermione asked curiously, looking up from the tree on the ground.

"My ancestor didn't have a date of death."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?" When Luna nodded, she frowned. "That's odd. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to fool a spell like this one."

"Do you have any ideas what might've happened to her?" Luna asked eagerly.

"What was her name again?" Hermione asked, standing and brushing her hands off on her thighs.

"Drusilla Rose Kent," Luna answered promptly.

"Have you looked for her anywhere else?" Hermione asked.

"I looked her up in the school records, but she was only here a year," Luna replied.

"That's interesting…" Hermione trailed off, her face clouding in thought. "You don't think she moved to another school? Durmstrang or Beauxbatons?"

"I thought that, but I don't know how to find out. She might also have gone to Australia or America. Lots of people moved there then, didn't they?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah…but that still doesn't account for her missing date of death."

"There's probably a really simple explanation for it," Luna said as Hermione cleared away the ink and they started making their way back to their respective common rooms, "but I can't think for the life of me what it is."

Hermione nodded, half-listening.

"I mean, wouldn't it be cool if she was still alive?"

&&&&&

TBC…


	2. It's Just Downright Rude

A thanks goes to all the people who pointed out the slight problems with last chapter. Hopefully I fixed most of them up.

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 2/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 2-

It's Just Downright Rude

Every day for the last week Luna had searched the library for any mention of Drusilla. Even Hermione had lent a hand, the plight of Drusilla capturing her imagination. Still, they had found nothing, and Luna didn't hold much hope of discovering anything now, after hours and hours of searching. After all, if Hermione the super researcher couldn't find anything then it meant that there was nothing to find.

Still, the research hadn't been a waste. Luna had found out enough information on what life would've been like in Drusilla's time that she'd already finished the report. And, as a bonus, she'd discovered upon an old map plotting all the known sightings of the Crinkled Gorplump. She was going to ask her father to take them on a trip to Argentina (where most of the sightings were recorded) on the summer holidays.

With the end of the research came the realization that she would probably never find out about Drusilla. Luna couldn't deny that she was disappointed. Every night she'd sat up late imagining what could have happened to her. There was the slightly boring explanation that Drusilla was still living. It was a possibility -after all, magical folk had unusually long life spans- but 137 years was a bit too long to live, even for a witch. She liked to think that Drusilla had stumbled upon the Philosopher's Stone and had become immortal: but that was a bit farfetched as well. Her favourite explanation was that perhaps Drusilla had stumbled into an alternate dimension. She liked making up different dimensions for Drusilla to live in. There was the one made entirely out of sweets; the one inhabited by mythical creatures; and the one with no shrimp. She never liked to think that Drusilla had been sucked into a hell dimension. That would be too awful to think about. After all those hours of researching and daydreaming she felt as if she knew Drusilla. Thinking about her death or imprisonment made her as depressed as if it had been Ginny who had disappeared.

Suddenly a horrible idea came to Luna. What if she'd read the name on the family tree wrong? What if Drusilla's date of death had been there all along and she'd just missed it by accident? Quickly Luna found a spare sheet of parchment scrunched up at the bottom of her book bag and took out her wand. "_Faminvenio!_"

The family tree swiftly mapped itself across the piece of parchment. Spotting a date close to Drusilla's, Luna called out, "_Finite Incantatem_!" The map stopped growing and Luna bent forward to take a closer look. After a few minutes she found Drusilla's name and relaxed a little. No, her eyes hadn't been wrong. There was no date of death. Thank Merlin she'd been right, Luna reflected as she scanned the rest of map. She wouldn't be able to take it if she'd done all that research for nothing. It was all right for Hermione -she liked researching- but for Luna it was another matter entirely.

Drusilla had a big family, Luna thought as she traced the tree back to the subject of her research project. Lots of sisters that had-

Lots of sisters that had all died at the same time. And what a coincidence- her parents had also died that same time. Luna's heart sped up. There was something seriously wrong with that. Sure, they could of maybe died of a disease- but how likely was that?

Actually, now she was thinking of it, it was probably very likely, especially if Drusilla was muggle-born. But team that snippet of information with the fact that Drusilla had mysteriously disappeared…well, Luna knew it couldn't be a fluke.

"Hermione, look at this," Luna said to Hermione, who was studying on the other side of the table.

"Can it wait?' Hermione asked, soundly slightly annoyed. "I'm trying to work out this Arithmancy equation."

"Look at this," Luna said, ignoring her protestations and shoving the family tree under Hermione's nose.

"What's the matter with it?"

"There." Luna jabbed her finger at Drusilla's family. "Look at their death dates. Isn't that a coincidence?"

"No, not really," Hermione said calmly, "life was tough in those days."

Hermione didn't believe her, but Luna knew she was onto something. People always seemed to laugh at her special sixth sense, but she knew when things weren't right. And something about this situation was definitely wrong.

"Maybe," said Luna excitedly, an idea coming to her, "Maybe they were killed, and Drusilla escaped somehow by doing something magic. That's why her death date didn't come up on the map!" It was all making sense now! That must've been what happened. Perhaps it was some wizards against muggles and muggle-borns, or- "Oooh! Perhaps it was one of those muggle serial killers!"

"Perhaps," Hermione sounded unconvinced. "And you get serial killers in the wizarding world as well."

"But not as often," Luna told her. "Serial killers occur much more commonly in the muggle world."

Her words seemed to trigger Hermione's memory, as a frown crossed her face. "What year did they die?" She asked suddenly.

"1870."

"There's something familiar about all this," Hermione had put her Arithmancy book down. "I should know about this!"

"I don't see how," Luna answered reasonably. "And it mustn't have been particularly important if you can't remember it."

"But that's just it," Hermione said puzzled. "It _was_ something important. Now, what subject would I've heard it in…?"

Hermione faded away and her eyes glazed over. This was Hermione's thinking expression, and Luna knew better than to interrupt her. Luna couldn't think of where Hermione might've heard about Drusilla, but Hermione was rarely wrong. That was one reason why Luna liked studying with her- the older girl was brilliant at proof reading and explanations. Ginny was pretty good at that stuff as well, but she had detention with Professor Snape at the moment. The Drusilla mystery hadn't really appealed to her anyway.

Luna leant back in her chair as she waited for Hermione to come up with the answer. Today had been an unusually good day. Her housemates had left her alone for some reason and Luna had enjoyed a strangely quiet day. Snape was still teaching History of Magic, but he had been quite civil to her after she'd answered every question on his pop quiz correctly. "Finally joined the real world, Miss Lovegood?" he'd sniped at her as he handed it back to her. Luna chose to view it as a compliment.

"I've got it!"

Luna looked up to find Hermione beaming. "Really?" She asked, smiling herself. ""So what did you get?"

Hermione's face fell a little. "Well, it wasn't really what I was expecting it to be…" Hermione said slowly. "In fact, it's probably better if you read it yourself."

"Pardon?" Luna followed Hermione as the older girl crossed to the other side of the library.

"I have to admit, I was surprised at myself that I'd forgotten," Hermione said as the stopped in front of the non-fiction section.

"What did you forget?" Luna asked, getting a little annoyed. Couldn't Hermione see that she was on tenterhooks here?

"Ah! Found it!" Hermione darted forward to the shelves and pulled out a book. As they crossed back to their desk Luna craned for a look at the title. To her disappointment, there wasn't one. "C'mon, Hermione, tell me," she cajoled.

Hermione just smiled, and Luna scowled. She hadn't figured Hermione for a sadist.

"Okay," Hermione said, as they sat back in the chairs, "This is probably going to come as a surprise to you. I certainly wasn't prepared for it myself."

"Just tell me!"

Hermione flipped through the book until she came to a section titled 'Vampires'. "I found this book while I was researching for a DADA assignment," she told Luna.

"And?"

Hermione turned a few more pages. "Look at that," she instructed Luna.

Luna bent forward for a closer look.

**Famous Vampires** Possibly some of the most famous and well-known vampires other than Dracula were known as the 'Scourge of Europe'. For decades they brought terror into the hearts of thousands of people all over the continent. 

"Vampires?" Luna whispered, looking at Hermione. "Drusilla was killed by vampires?"

Hermione gave an impatient sigh and pointed at a section further down. "Look. It goes through all the members of the Scourge of Europe."

Luna looked down to where Hermione pointed and almost had a heart attack.

"_Drusilla_ was a vampire?" Luna whispered, her eyes wide. Well, she certainly hadn't expected that.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. She was a seer, you know. Not a quack like Trelawney, but a real seer. The vampire Angelus heard of her and wanted to make her his childe. He killed her family and drove her crazy before he turned her."

"I'm related to a famous vampire?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry, Luna-"

"That is so cool!" Luna interrupted, a grin on her face.

Hermione looked shocked. "It-it is?"

Luna nodded. "Wow. So that's why her death date never appeared. She's not dead, she's _un_dead."

"Er...yes." Hermione looked bewildered. "Luna, you do know that she killed thousands of people…"

Luna nodded. "Yeah. That is a bit scary. But, you know, she can't help being a vampire. Crinkled Gorplumps like to feast on human entrails but they can't do anything about it because it's in their nature."

Hermione looked slightly repulsed. "They eat entrails? And you still like them?"

"Oh yes. Crinkled Gorplumps have the ability to-"

"Anyway," Hermione interrupted, "What are you going to do now? You should probably keep it a secret. You don't want people thinking-"

"That I'm even weirder than they thought?" Luna asked with a bitter smile. "Don't worry, I won't."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"It is a point, though. Not everyone is happy to have a vampire as an ancestor."

"No, they aren't."

Luna smiled. "But I am. I've never had any one famous related to me."

"Even if they're famous for the wrong reasons?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrow archly. "You're taking this very well. If I was related to her I would disown myself."

"That's taking it a bit far," Luna said. "But anyway, most of my questions still haven't been answered."

"What in Merlin's name do you mean?" Hermione asked, surprised. "You now know why Drusilla never had a death date, why her family all died at the same time…"

"But I still don't know why she left Hogwarts!"

"I doubt you'll ever know that," Hermione said with a grin. "What are you going to do, track her down and ask her?"

"Oh, Hermione!" Luna exclaimed. "What a brilliant idea!"

"No, no, Luna, it's not." Hermione gave a deep sigh. "She's not some mythical animal that's not real. She's flesh and blood, and if she saw you she'd probably rip your throat out."

"Lots of things you think are made-up are actually real," Luna snapped, feeling a little angry. She never laughed at what Hermione thought.

"Look, Luna, I am sorry. But I can't, in all good conscience, let you track down a psychotic killer."

"I just want to know what happened to her," Luna protested, standing up and grabbing her book bag. "Anyway, you're not my dad. You can't tell me what I can and can't do." And with that, Luna turned on her heel and stormed out of the library.

Hermione watched her go with a frown on her face. Then, with a sigh, she pulled the book towards her and began to read.

For such a brilliant day, it went downhill pretty fast. First, Luna had had the fight with Hermione. Then Filch had caught her running back to Ravenclaw Tower and had given her detention. When she finally got back to her dormitory, she found that her trunk had been rifled through, all her sweets eaten, and someone had broken her statue of a Welsh Green that always sat on her bedside table. The statue was fixed with a quick _repairo_, but Luna fancied the snout was still a bit crooked.

She was most upset about Hermione, though. Of all the mean things to say. To Luna, those creatures were as real as Hagrid's dog Fang. Hermione had no right to say that they weren't. And to top it all off, she called her Aunt Drusilla a psychotic killer. Luna supposed that that was true, but she never went up to Draco Malfoy and told him his father was a murdering Death Eater who ought to rot in Azkaban. For one thing, it was just downright rude.

"Luna!"

Luna turned to see Hermione racing down the stairs towards her. "Please go away, Hermione. I'm making a concerted effort not to talk to you."

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Hermione said quickly, stopping in front of Luna. "What I said was out of line, but I was just worried about you."

"I accept your apology," Luna said, her face breaking into a smile, "and I'm sorry that I'd made up my mind that I was going to ignore you for the rest of the week."

Hermione stepped into line with Luna as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I've been searching for the last few days, and I've found the last known location of Drusilla." Hermione said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a list. "Drusilla was last seen in Los Angeles, America, after her sire set her alight."

"How terrible of him!" Luna interrupted.

"Very terrible," Hermione agreed, though she sounded more as if she agreed with Angel than Luna. "Anyway, she disappeared after that and no-one's heard from her since." Hermione hesitated. "If you really want to know what happened to her, LA is probably the best place to start."

"Oh, thankyou, Hermione!" Luna said brightly, throwing her arms around the older girl. "I could never have found out all that by myself."

"I know you couldn't," Hermione answered, her voice slightly muffled by Luna's arm. "So I know I'll blame myself if something happens to you over there."

"Thankyou, thankyou," Luna said, pulling away. "I'm going to owl my dad straight away and ask if I can go to America in the next holidays. They're only four weeks away, you know." Luna clapped her hands together excitedly. Something occurred to her and her face fell. "But where am I going to stay? Daddy can't come with me- he's going to Zimbabwe for a few months. I'm supposed to be staying at my aunt's."

"I've thought of that too. I don't want my friend staying with some total stranger. Anyway, LA's a dangerous place. All those crime shows are set in LA and who knows what might happen if you're by yourself," Hermione paused for breath.

"What are crime shows?" Luna asked, curious.

Hermione sighed again. "Never mind. But my favourite uncle lives in LA. I could probably arrange for you to stay with him for a few days."

"Really?" Luna brightened. "Hermione, wow!"

"I know you won't stop looking for Drusilla, so I want to make sure you'll be as safe as possible," Hermione said worriedly. "My uncle is a muggle, though, and he has no idea magic's real. I'll need to teach you a bit about the muggle world."

"You won't need to teach me much," Luna replied. "I take muggle studies. I know all about fellytones and Davy-Dee players."

"I'll just er- test you to see what you know, then," Hermione said, struggling to hide a laugh.

"So what's you uncle's name? So I can tell my dad," Luna explained.

"Wesley Wyndham-Pryce," Hermione answered. "I haven't seen him for a few years, but I email him sometimes. He's nice, a bit geeky though. He's a complete and utter muggle- no clue about anything mystical. Oh well, I'm sure he'll say yes, and we'll see what happens then."

Luna was still beaming. "This is going to be so much fun!"

TBC…


	3. City of Angelus

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 3/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl. Heffalumps belong to A. A. Milne.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 3-

City of Angelus

"Now, if anything happens-" Hermione began, as Luna asked the lady at the desk for a window seat.

"I shall call you on the fellytone," Luna finished, as the attendant handed her a ticket. "You've gone over this with me before." She looked around the airport terminal curiously. "It would be much quicker if I took a port key, you know."

Hermione gave a sigh. "Yes, but my uncle the muggle is expecting to pick you up at the airport."

"I could always take a port key to the airport."

"Oh? And what if someone saw you? Don't worry, you'll like flying on the plane, I promise."

"Did you hear that Luna?" A voice interrupted excitedly. The two girls turned to see Mr Weasley, who had volunteered to take them to the airport, and who was almost as red as his hair from the thrill. "The voice said you have to be bored!"

"I expect it said that Luna can now board the plane, Mr Weasley," Hermione corrected politely.

"Of course, of course," Mr Weasley said, not really paying attention. "I'm looking forward to seeing the airyplane take off."

Hermione smiled indulgently at him and turned back to Luna. "Remember, don't say anything strange around Wesley," she reminded Luna.

"Of course I won't," Luna replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not stupid."

"Ring when you get to Wesley's house, okay?" Hermione told her, walking with Luna to the gate.

"You've told me all this a thousand times before," Luna said, annoyed. "I won't forget anything."

The two girls began to walk towards the boarding gate. "Do you have the notebook?" Hermione asked in an undertone so that Mr Weasley wouldn't overhear.

Luna nodded. "Yep. All the information's in there."

"Good." Hermione stepped forward and gave the other girl a tight hug. "Good luck."

Mr Weasley caught up and gave Luna a pat on the back. "I still can't believe you won that competition to go to LA, Luna," he said happily. "I didn't even know Bertie Botts was having a competition."

"It came as a surprise to me, too," Luna said, managing to keep a straight face. She, Hermione, Ginny, and her father all knew the truth, but they'd told everyone else that she'd won a trip to LA to see a convention on Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans. Wesley had been told that the convention was for a clothing label. Everyone was told that unfortunately the company didn't supply accommodation and so Luna would be staying with Hermione's uncle. Hermione had assured her that Wesley wouldn't want to come with her to the convention. "You'll have two weeks all to yourself," Hermione proclaimed.

"Have fun," Hermione told her now, as someone took her ticket. "You'll have a great time, even if you don't find anything."

"I'll find something," Luna told her firmly, and with that, she turned and walked through the gate.

The plane trip was long, and a bit boring in the middle, but overall Luna had had a wonderful time. She'd never flown so high, even on a broom. Through her window she could see England, spread out below her like a child's toy. It was awe-inspiring to know that from this height a person would be as small as a flea on a Heffalump.

Soon the plane had left England behind and the only thing below them was the sea. Luna thought it was beautiful, a huge expanse of navy blue that stretched out below them for miles. She fell asleep soon after thinking that, and the next thing she remembered was the captain saying that they were about to land. Luna gathered her things together and waited patiently for the plane to land.

Her ears popped just as the plane's wheels landed onto the tarmac. Both were, in Luna's opinion, unpleasant sensations.

She'd also had a close scare in customs when she thought someone had picked up on the fact that she was carrying a wand, but it carried too many concealing and repelling spells for that. The highlight of her trip was when a boy in front of her in the line was almost strip-searched after a water gun was found in his suitcase. Luna found it quite hilarious.

After an hour or two she walked out of a large door to find a multitude of people waiting. People were shouting names, squealing, crying, and then there were the silent chauffeurs who stood holding placards with names on them. No one looked like a Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Her Wesley Wyndham-Pryce was stiff, impeccably dressed, perhaps with glasses, and bearing a remarkable resemblance to Hermione. The man who came up to her and asked, in a polite English accent, "Are you Luna Lovegood, by any chance?" did not fit those expectations. First and foremost, he did not look anything like Hermione. He did not wear glasses. And, finally, he wore what Hermione called 'jeans'.

"Yes. Are you Wesley Wyndham-Pryce?" Luna had asked, slightly confused. This man was nothing like Hermione had described. For one thing, he was quite good-looking.

The man had nodded and then asked, "Shall I take your suitcase?"

Luna had said "Thankyou, that would be kind," handed it over, and now here they were, sitting in a taxi presumably on the way to Wesley's apartment.

"So how's Hermione?" Wesley asked, breaking the silence.

"She's good. She's a prefect now, you know."

"Really? Tell her I said congratulations. I suppose she's liking school then."

"Oh, yes. She loves it."

"I never could work out why Sophie and George sent her to a boarding school in Scotland," Wesley said conversationally. "There are plenty of good schools in England."

"Hogwarts is wonderful," Luna defended. "I don't think any school could be better."

"That's exactly what Hermione says," Wesley replied with a smile. "You two obviously think alike."

There was another long silence as Luna looked out of the car window.

"Where do you live?" Luna asked curiously.

"Very near here," said Wesley, and at that moment the taxi began to slow down. When it stopped, Luna looked out the window to see a rather drab looking apartment block. She opened the door and stepped out. Wesley had already retrieved her suitcase from the trunk of the car. "Follow me," he called to her, and she dutifully followed behind him as he stepped into the foyer of the building. Wesley walked to a door in the wall and pressed a button beside it. "We're on the fourth floor, I'm afraid," he told her with a slight smile. "It's usually alright, except when the lift breaks down."

A lift! Luna remembered Hermione telling her about these. And she would have to go up and down a lift every day! Brilliant!

Luna's thoughts were interrupted by a dinging noise, and the lift doors opened. Wesley and Luna stepped in, and Wesley pressed another button with a little four on it. Suddenly, the floor shuddered beneath her and it felt as if the floor was moving up to meet the roof. Then, as soon as it had started, it stopped, and the lift doors opened on to a corridor. Luna followed Wesley out, her legs wobbling a little bit. "This is my apartment," Wesley told her, crossing to a door and taking out a key. "It's not much, but it's home." The door opened on to a large living space, and Luna stepped in curiously. She'd never been in a muggle's home before. It was very similar, and at the same time very different from her own home. Luna recognised the television in one corner, with a video player tucked underneath. There were a lot of books everywhere.

"Bathroom's here," Wesley said, giving her the tour. Luna peeped into the room he was showing her to see a bath, toilet, and sink. It was basically the same as home. "And this," Wesley continued, "is your bedroom." He opened the door with a flourish. Luna walked inside. It was a poky, cramped, dull room, but it would do. "It's lovely. Thankyou so much for taking me in."

Wesley shrugged. "You are one of my niece's closest friends, after all. And I never use this room."

"Well, thankyou anyway," said Luna gratefully.

"Don't mention it. Are you hungry?" When Luna shook her head he continued, "I'll let you get to sleep, then. By the sounds of it, you're going to have a busy few weeks."

Luna nodded, and Wesley closed the door. Sighing, Luna sat down heavily on the bed tucked into the corner and looked around. There was a desk and a closet against one wall, and a bookcase was squeezed into the only remaining space in the room. She'd look through the books tomorrow, she decided, and began unpacking her suitcase. Within minutes of climbing into bed, she was asleep.

Wesley announced at breakfast that he had some business to take care of and that he wouldn't be back until the early evening. "I figured you would be too tired, what with the time difference, to do anything anyway," he explained.

"I am feeling a bit tired," Luna lied. Actually, she was feeling fine.

"Okay then. Well, I'll see you when I get home." Wesley smiled at her, and then picked up a bag that had been resting on the table. It looked suspiciously bulky. Luna hoped that Hermione's uncle didn't deal in stolen body parts. She'd read about that somewhere once. "Bye," Luna said with a smile. If he did steal body parts, it was probably best to get on his good side.

Luna read the paper while she ate her cereal. It was fascinating. It had articles about local politics and events, sport and world events, just like the Prophet, but the rest was filled with ads. The advertisements were really interesting to read, but Luna had no idea what most of them were advertising. Hermione had gone over the main things about Muggle life, but she'd failed to mention little things.

After she'd gone over every inch of the newspaper, Luna flipped on the television. Hermione had explained it in detail, including all the shows she should know. No amount of explaining could have prepared her for the little people stuck in the television, though. The wizarding world had nothing like it. For the next half an hour Luna sat enthralled, her eyes not moving from the little box in front of her. She'd definitely ask her father for a television for her next birthday, Luna decided.

Luna's mind turned to Drusilla. Somewhere in this city was someone who would know what had happened to her. In the desk in her bedroom Luna had tucked the notebook that held all the information she knew about Drusilla. Everything from her birth date to information about Darla and Angelus was written in there in Luna's messy script. There were quite a few possibilities to follow up on, Luna had decided on the plane trip. She could ask Angel –the souled version of Drusilla's sire- but as he had set her alight she didn't think he would be too happy to see her descendant. There were also possible flunkies, and Spike, her ex-lover and childe to investigate. Spike could be promising, but he lived in Sunnydale, a town hours away from LA. Anyway, Luna didn't think he'd talked to Drusilla in a long time.

Today would be a perfect opportunity to go out and talk to people, Luna decided, turning off the television. Wesley wasn't here, and wouldn't come home until the evening.

Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing noise sounded out of nowhere. "Who's there?" Luna called out, grabbing her wand, which was tucked into the waistband of her skirt. No one answered, and Luna jumped when it rang again. Where was the sound coming from? She wondered, listening for the next ring. The next second, Luna tracked it down to a little rectangular square of plastic attached to the wall. Realising what it was, she began to feel a little stupid. Hermione had explained to her what a fellytone was, and what it sounded like, but she had never actually seen or heard one in real life. She hesitated about picking it up (after all, it wasn't her house) but then decided to. Closing her hand around the plastic of the removable part of the phone, she lifted it up to her ear and said nervously, "Hello?"

"Luna?"

Luna relaxed when she heard Hermione's voice on the other side of the line. "Hi, Hermione," she said brightly.

"Did you know how worried I was?" Hermione demanded. "You never called!"

"Sorry, I forgot," Luna said easily. It was true: she'd been so tired last night she'd just collapsed into bed.

"I thought something had happened to you," Hermione defended. "Did the plane land alright? Did Uncle Wesley pick you up? What's his house like?"

"Yes, yes, and it's small," Luna answered her questions. "He's not at all like you described."

"He isn't?"

"Nope. He's a lot...cooler...than you said he was. He asked after you, by the way. And he says congratulations for being made prefect."

"Well, tell him I say hello, and thanks."

"Does he deal in body parts?" Luna asked curiously. She heard a splutter on the other end. She thought it might be Hermione.

"No! Why in Merlin's name did you ask?"

"He was carrying on oddly-shaped parcel this morning," Luna explained. "I thought it might be body parts."

"I think Uncle Wesley works for some detective agency or something like that. Maybe it was evidence." Hermione suggested. She sounded like she was trying to hold in a laugh.

Luna considered it. "Yes, that might've been it."

"So what are you going to do today?"

"Well, your uncle had to leave this morning, so I thought now might be a good time to look around," Luna told her.

"Excellent," said Hermione. "I hope you find something."

"So do I," said Luna. "I have no idea where to begin, though."

"Maybe you should do some reconnaissance," suggested Hermione.

"Pardon?"

"Recon? It's this military term. It means you do some spying out of the land. Maybe you should check out the Hyperion where Angel lives."

"Yeah!" Luna perked up. She was really curious as to where Drusilla's sire lived. She hoped it was dark and dingy, just like a vampire's home should be. Yes, she decided, that would be a very fun activity to do today. "Do you want me to ring you tonight to tell you what I find?"

"Nah," said Hermione. "Long distance phone calls get really expensive. I gave you my email address, didn't I? You can email me."

"Er...okay," Luna said unsurely. Hermione had explained the Internet and email to her, but she hadn't really understood it. Perhaps she could find the LA version of Diagon Alley and post an owl instead.

"Brilliant. Mum's calling me, so I have to go. Good luck, okay?"

"Bye!" Luna told her and heard a little click as Hermione rang off. Placing the phone back in its cradle, she walked back to her room. Opening the desk drawer she took out the notebook and extracted a map of Los Angeles folded into a tiny square. It wasn't a very good map, and only showed the main features of the city, but Luna had marked the Hyperion hotel on it. Hermione had told her that to get around Los Angeles she would need to take a taxi. Wesley had taken her home from the airport in a taxi, and so now Luna had first hand experience in what to do when she hopped in one. The only other thing she needed to do was call a cab company.

That was easy. Hermione had given her a list of cab companies and their telephone numbers to put in her notebook, and so all Luna needed to do was pick one.

The taxi dropped her off a few blocks away from the Hyperion. She'd had a little bit of trouble giving him the right amount of money but he obviously thought she was from another country. After Luna had painstakingly counted out the bills and a few coins, the taxi had driven off, leaving her to look around.

It wasn't a very nice suburb, she thought to herself. It was a bit dirty, and she swore she saw a rat in one of the rubbish bins. Rats didn't really bother her as much as they did other girls, though. She'd gotten over her fear the day Graham Doncaster managed to place a rat in her bed and it has started to lick her toes at eleven at night. She'd kept it as a pet, but Blackpaws had disappeared without warning last year. She rather thought Crookshanks had eaten him, but she never told Hermione that.

Her map had shown her that the Hyperion was directly north from the spot she was standing in, and so she began looking for the nearest street going north. As she walked, Luna's mind took note of her surroundings. Perhaps Drusilla had walked on the very pavement she was walking on? Perhaps Drusilla had looked at that bit of graffiti on the wall and wondered who wrote it, just like Luna? Luna could see a street coming up in front of her, but there was a little alley about a hundred metres before it. She'd be able to get to the Hyperion quicker and be less noticed if she used the alley, Luna realised. Reaching the entrance, she peered in cautiously. It was very dark, the light prevented from reaching the ground by canopies and walkways stretching over the top.

How positively gothic!

The more fanciful part of Luna's mind half expected a vampire to jump out from behind a bin at any moment, but the other part of Luna's brain noted with some disappointment that it was daytime, and thus highly unlikely.

And so with thoughts like these, Luna was not entirely surprised when something jumped out from behind a bin with its mouth open ready to bite her. This creature wasn't a vampire, though. In fact, it was nothing Luna had ever read about or seen. It had four arms similar to a human's, but they were tipped with crab-like claws. The bottom half of the creature was similar to a crab's as well, but it was a dirty copper colour, like dry blood. Its head was almost completely taken up by its mouth, with two beady little eyes perched on top. Thanks to its open mouth, Luna knew that it had rows upon rows of slimy green teeth and extraordinarily bad breath.

She shrieked, but regained her senses enough to grab for her wand. "Stupefy!" Luna cried out, but the demonic crab sweeped away her wand with a flick of its giant claws. Luna watched helpless as her wand flew through the air and then rolled away to fall down into a grate.

The demonic crab advanced towards her, and Luna backed away, unable to take her eyes off it. Suddenly, before her eyes, something metal seemed to grow out of its chest. Dimly Luna recognised it as the head of an axe. The demonic crab seemed to be as surprised as her, looking down at the axe with puzzlement in its little eyes. Then the eyes clouded over and the creature fell to the ground, hopefully dead.

With the demonic crab lying on the ground, Luna could clearly see the creature that felled it.

A boy, a few years older than herself, stood standing with the axe balanced in one of his hands. His face was unreadable.

"Thankyou," Luna whispered.

The boy didn't answer, but his eyes flicked down to the demonic crab. "Did you know what that was?" He asked. He had an odd accent, Luna realised. Not quite American, not quite English.

Luna shook her head, and saw the grate. "My wand!" she said, remembering, and rushed to the grate. She dropped to her knees and peered in. There was a faint sound of running water, and Luna's heart dropped.

"It's a water main," The boy said from behind her. "Whatever dropped in there is lost to you now."

TBC...


	4. Of Stalkers and Salads

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 4/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 4-

Of Stalkers and Salads

The effeminate looking boy's words hardly entered her brain.

"That's not true!" Luna said firmly, trying to open the grate. "I can't have lost it!"

"Whatever it was will have floated away by now," the boy said, a bit uncaringly in Luna's opinion. He could have shown more compassion.

"No, it wouldn't have," Luna said, a trace of hysteria beginning to enter her voice. The grate wasn't moving, and her hands were starting to hurt.

"That grate is not going to open," the boy said, sounding amused.

"It might if you helped," Luna said angrily. What if she'd lost her wand? She wouldn't be able to survive without it!

The boy gave a sigh and dropped to his knees beside her. He placed a hand on either side of the grate, and with a grunt, he pulled. Luna saw the muscles in his arms flex, and the grate was pushed aside.

"Th-thankyou," Luna told him, confused. Were muggles supposed to be that strong? She hadn't thought so. What if this boy was some kind of demon as well? Oh, that was a scary thought, and Luna suppressed a shiver. Did everybody in LA have something wrong with them? Luna thought of Wesley, and that comforted her somewhat. Wesley was definitely normal. Nothing mystical there, thankyou very much.

She pushed that thought away and looked down into the darkness. Deep down, she knew that what the boy said was true- her wand was lost. "I have to find it," she whispered under her breath. She was utterly useless without it. Luna swung her legs over the side, preparing to jump in.

"Stop!" The boy reached out with a hand and grasped her arm. "You can't jump in, you don't know what's down there."

"I have to find my wand," said Luna. Realising what she'd just said, she slapped a hand over her mouth.

The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wand?"

"A trinket my father gave me," Luna said at last, after thinking desperately of an explanation. The boy still looked unbelieving, so she decided to change the subject. "My name's Luna. What's yours?"

The boy looked at her for so long that Luna began to feel a little uncomfortable. She had a feeling he could see right through her distraction method. Finally he said. "I'm Stephen. It is nice to meet you."

"Well, Stephen," said Luna, extracting her arm from his grip. "It was nice meeting you, and thankyou very much for saving me from the demonic crab, but I must rescue my wand now."

Stephen was looking at her like he wasn't sure what to make of her. "Goodbye then, Luna," he said at last, standing up with ease. Luna was surprised with his grace- he wasn't as gawky as all the teenage boys at school were.

Luna turned back to stare into the grate for a moment, and when she looked up again the boy was gone.

Luna decided not to think about the strange boy anymore, and instead focused on getting her wand back. With a deep breath, she pushed herself off the edge of the grate.

Luna got home late that night, but she was still there before Wesley arrived. She'd searched the tunnels near the alley for a few hours, but her wand had completely disappeared. After crying for a bit, Luna had realised the time and managed to find an exit. Sopping wet, she'd hailed a taxi. The cabdriver had looked at her doubtfully before she'd pulled out some notes. They were slightly damp, but she assumed they were still currency. She was correct, and after that his manner changed quite abruptly. She gave him quite a large tip because she'd left a damp spot on one of the seats.

After having a shower and changing into some dry clothes the first thing Luna did was ring Hermione. She didn't really worry about the time difference- after all it was an emergency.

When a slightly groggy Hermione answered, Luna plunged into her entire tale. Hermione was fascinated with the demonic crab, and Luna could tell she wanted to start researching it straight away. However, the first thing she found out for Luna was the location of Los Angeles' version of Diagon Alley. It wasn't located in an alley, which was good because Luna had had enough of those to last her a lifetime. Instead it was situated at the back of a little costuming shop.

After Luna had thanked Hermione profusely and hung up, she reflected on what to do next. Tomorrow, she decided, she would go to Madam Mayfair's House of Costumes, and get a new wand. In the meantime, she would be a good houseguest and make dinner.

A quick glance into the kitchen changed that thought. Wesley would probably appreciate it more if she didn't burn the apartment down than if she cooked a half-done omelette.

She could make a very nice salad, though. Salads usually required no cooking, and she really liked arranging the vegetables into patterns. Once she'd arranged them to make the face of a Welsh Green. It ended up being quite nice, even if she did say so herself, but at the end of the night the dragon was missing an eye, nose, and a jaw.

After searching through Wesley's fridge and having fun using the muggle knife (all wizarding ones chopped by themselves) Luna had created a passable imitation of a parakeet in flight.

She placed the salad in the fidget (such a strange name) to keep it fresh and then looked at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock- Wesley was late.

Perhaps the demonic crab had gotten him too?

Luna heard the front door click, and twirled around, her hand going to her waist before she remembered her wand wasn't there any more. She gave a relieved sigh when she realised that she wouldn't need it anyway. Wesley closed the front door behind him and took off his coat. He didn't have the package anymore.

"Hi Wesley," said Luna brightly, deciding not to mention his lateness. After all, she was a guest.

"Hello, Luna," said Wesley, sounding rather tired. When he looked up at her, she saw he had a new cut stretching across his cheek. She gasped, "Your cheek..."

"I, er, fell over," Wesley said, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. He pulled at his high collar embarrassedly.

Luna nodded sympathetically. She fell over a lot, too, but more often than not somebody pushed her first. "I made a salad," Luna said, changing the subject.

"That sounds lovely, thankyou," said Wesley, and as he began to set the table and Luna took the salad out of the fidget, she reflected just how amazing it was that Muggles like Wesley could live in complete ignorance of magic.

Madam Mayfair's was certainly an eye-opener. At first she thought that all the people walking by on the streets outside were witches and wizards who had forgotten to put on muggle clothes, but then she realised they were just Muggles dressed very strangely. The whole street was full of costume shops and boutiques, and although most of the people who shopped there were actors, some of them were ordinary people looking for what they thought were ordinary clothes. She saw a woman walk past wearing a cloak made entirely of feathers. It looked a little odd in the Muggle world, but Luna had half a mind to buy one to wear back home. It really was rather striking.

Madam Mayfair's itself was a rather dull shop compared to the others. Luna thought that maybe this was done on purpose, so the muggles wouldn't be tempted to go inside. Hermione's instructions on once to do inside the shop had been rather vague. She'd mentioned a mirror, though, one that took up the whole back wall.

Luna darted around the mannequins and racks of clothing that covered most of the floor space of Madam Mayfair's before coming to a stop at the mirror. She peered at it curiously. All she could see were the reflections of the shop and herself. Luna couldn't help the mournful smile that came over her face as she looked at herself. Her straggly blonde hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and her eyes, too large and far apart, made her look permanently surprised. She'd gone to the beach with Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry once, and while she was pretending to be asleep after a swim she'd heard Ron tell Harry that she looked like a drowned albino rat. Yes, her hair was straggly and thin, but her hair wasn't white, like that prat Malfoy's. Luna was about to look away from the sorry sight but something caught her eye. She was still reflected in the mirror, yes, but the shop wasn't. Now, the mirror was showing a busy streetscape, similar to the one out side the shop. Awed, Luna stepped through the mirror into George Square, LA's equivalent of Diagon Alley.

She never noticed the figure following her through the mirror.

She also never noticed the figure as she made her way to the ultramodern glass building that housed that Los Angeles branch of Gringotts, her first stop. She had quite a lot of money in her purse, but it was all in galleons, pounds or dollars, and she needed to change it into American wizarding currency.

After exchanging twenty galleons with an extremely surly goblin, Luna stepped out of the revolving doors and into the bright sunlight. She desperately wanted to look around at the many shops in George Square and on the streets branching off from it, but she knew she'd better buy her wand first or else she would spend all her money. After wandering around for a while, she located a shop with a sign above it proclaiming: _Dusker and Fredrick_: _Makers of Fine Wands Since Settlement_. The front window display consisted of three wands, all made of different wood, suspended in mid air on star-spangled cushions. Unlike Ollivander's it looked very clean and professional.

Luna wasn't sure she'd like it. Mr Ollivander had charm, if not the knowledge of any cleaning spells. She trusted all his wands to be well-made, and she knew nothing about American wand-makers.

Nevertheless, she desperately needed a wand, and so she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Dusker and Fredrick was well lit, with long aisles stretching out from behind the counter. Luna assumed they were packed with wands. Nervously she stepped in front of the counter and pinged the little bell that was sitting on top. It gave out a tune like a mockingbird, and Luna jumped. She was used to bells that sounded like bells.

"May I help you, Miss?" a woman's voice called, and Luna looked up to see a woman striding up an aisle.

"Yes. I've lost my wand, and I was wondering if you could fit me for a new one?" Luna asked politely.

"A tourist, huh?" The woman reached the counter and smiled at her. "Of course I can get you a new one, honey. Let me measure you first-"

The woman stepped around the counter, a measuring tape following her like a snake. As it measured Luna, the woman took out a huge book and began flipping through. "So, what was your last wand?"

"Twelve inches, holly with a dragon heartstring." Luna answered promptly.

The woman turned the page and sighed. "No, we haven't got a wand similar to that one here." She put the records down and beamed. "Great, so we can fit you for an entirely new wand. It's quite good to change them occasionally, anyway."

"Really?" Luna asked as the tape measure finished and slithered back to the woman.

"Yeah." She picked the measuring tape up and tucked it into the belt of her robe. "Especially when you're a student, kids can be a bit tough on their wands."

Luna thought of Ron's old wand and grinned.

The woman disappeared down an aisle for a few moments and then returned carrying enough boxes that her eyes were hidden. Luna wasn't sure how she could see to walk, but she supposed that the woman would have had a lot of practise. She dropped them on the counter.

"Try this one," the woman said, pulling a wand out of its box and pushing it into Luna's hand. Luna gave it a little wave, but nothing happened.

"Ah, never mind," said the woman and took another one out, "try this one instead."

Luna walked out of Dusker and Fredrick very satisfied. She'd found a wand that both worked and that felt just as comfortable as her old wand. In fact, it might even be better. The grip was more moulded to her hand, and she could feel it hum as the magic rushed through it. Hopefully this wand would fare better than its predecessor.

The next shop Luna wanted to go into was a sweets shop. She didn't notice as she left Dusker and Fredrick the figure that detached itself from the wall and stealthily followed her all the way to The Poisoned Candy Apple.

The Poisoned Candy Apple was decorated in pinks and greens, and had almost as big a selection as Honeydukes. None of the sweets were the same as the ones in Britain, so Luna made sure that she tried every one of the free tasters available. The toffees were so-so, but the fudge was delicious. She decided to buy a box now for herself, and then come back later and buy some for Ginny and Hermione as a present. If she bought it now, she probably would have eaten it by the time she got home to England.

Luna paid for the fudge and stepped out of the shop. The square was bustling, and Luna decided to go somewhere quieter, with not so many people. Spotting a little side street that seemed to be quieter than the rest, Luna picked her way through the crowd. A quick glance showed the side street to be mostly inhabited by bookshops, but Luna didn't hesitate before stepping in. She loved books- they couldn't laugh at you, or tease you, or anything like that; they just made you think about things differently, gave you new opinions, and made you analyse things you'd never thought about before.

Deep in thought, Luna didn't realise that someone was following her. She hadn't noticed that she was being followed all the way from Wesley's apartment either. In fact, the first time she knew that something wasn't right was when a hand clapped over her mouth and she was pulled into an alley behind one of the shops. Her captor slammed her against the wall and stars exploded in her eyes. She shook her head gently to get rid of them, but it just made her dizzier.

"What are you?" a voice hissed, and Luna opened her eyes to find the boy Stephen looking down at her, a disgusted expression on his face.

"Pardon?" Luna asked, groggily. "I don't underst-"

"What type of demon are you?" Stephen asked, holding her against the wall. Luna thought about kicking him, but then remembered what he'd done to the demonic crab the day before. No, that was not a good idea.

"Answer, demon!"

"I'm not a demon," Luna answered with a scowl. "I've no idea what you're talking about. Put me down!"

Stephen obviously didn't believe her. "Then what is this, if you are not a demon?" he demanded, jabbing his head towards the square. "The mirror? The wand?"

"I'm a witch, not a demon!" Luna said coolly. She decided to chance her luck and kick him. Connor stepped easily out of the way of her foot, and glared at her.

"A witch is just as bad," he snarled.

"Do you even know a witch?" Luna asked, trying to be brave.

"I know magic," he persisted. "It's the devil's tool."

"If you knew a proper witch you would know that we're not demons or evil," said Luna firmly. "So, Stephen, would you please put me down?"

Luna gazed into Stephen's eyes imploringly. They were cold and hard, and Luna felt her courage slipping away. Suddenly, Stephen's grip slackened and she slipped down the wall.

"Th-thankyou," Luna stumbled over her words. She hadn't expected Stephen to let her go, and his actions put her off balance.

"You didn't answer my question," Stephen demanded again, and Luna realised that even though he wasn't holding her anymore he didn't mean to let her go.

"Well," Luna hesitated. It was hard explaining things to a muggle, especially a seemingly psychotic one like Stephen. "The mirror is a gateway to a section of the city that caters solely for those with magic."

"Why did you come here?"

"I had to buy a new wand," Luna explained. "The demonic crab yesterday knocked mine down into the grate."

Stephen nodded slowly, his face impassive. Luna gave a gulp. This boy was dangerous, she knew, and he seemed to have something against magic.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, before," he said suddenly.

"That's okay," Luna said, confused even more. Now he was apologising to her? "I need to pick up my shopping." Luna pointed to where she'd dropped her bags. They were still lying on the ground in the middle of the street. When Stephen didn't say anything, she cautiously edged away from him towards the street. He still didn't move, and so she turned and began walking towards her bags. He fell into step beside her, and Luna decided that the danger was over.

Luna picked up her bags. No one had taken anything –that was a surprise in itself. "Fudge, Stephen?" Luna asked, taking out the box from one of her bags and showing it to him. She decided that it would probably be best to get on his good side. Perhaps if she proved to him that she wasn't dangerous he would stop calling her a demon.

"What's fudge?" he asked, a frown crossing his face.

Luna gasped. "You've never eaten fudge?" she asked, appalled. When Stephen shook his head she opened the box and took out a square. "Here. Eat that."

Stephen looked at the fudge in her head suspiciously, but after a few moments picked it up and put it in his mouth. Luna watched closely as he chewed it and then swallowed. "Well? Did you like it?"

Stephen allowed himself a small grin. "Yeah. It was actually pretty good."

"I told you so," Luna said smugly. There was an uncomfortable silence as they stood in the middle of the street together. Finally Luna said, "Do you want to go and have an ice cream? I saw an ice cream parlour around here somewhere." Without waiting for an answer, she turned back in the direction of the parlour and began walking. After a second's thought, Stephen followed her.

TBC...


	5. An Explanation Would Be Nice

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 5/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl, so the plot belongs to her.

A/N: Okay, a few people have asked about the timeline. Well, it's set in season four, but that Connor/Cordelia thing never happened. Ick. Anyway, Cordelia came back from her higher dimension, basically the same as she left. Confusing? Hopefully not, but I couldn't think of any other period in which my Luna/Connor pairing would work.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 5-

An Explanation Would Be Nice

Stephen and Luna were seated on bright pink chairs, with their menus resting on bright green tables. Everything in Irene's Ice Creamery was bright and colourful. Luna quite liked it, and wondered if she could decorate her dorm room with the same colour scheme when she got back to school. Somehow she doubted her roommates would be pleased.

"What does your wand do exactly?" Stephen asked as they were waiting for their ice creams.

"It's something that I can use to direct my magic," Luna said. She reached into the bags sitting beside her and pulled out a long, skinny box. "See?" She lifted the lid and showed Stephen her wand, nestled in pale blue tissue paper. Stephen bent forward for a closer look. "It doesn't look like very much," he said doubtfully.

Luna hesitated for a moment before taking out her wand. "It's actually illegal for an underage wizard to do magic, but I'm in America and I have a new wand, so the Ministry won't know." She held her wand out in front of her, and Stephen leapt backwards. Luna didn't appear to see. "Watch," she instructed him, before saying, "_Avis_!" There was a loud bang and three small birds erupted out of the end of her wand. They twittered before settling on Stephen's shoulders.

"What did you think of that?" She said excitedly, beaming at him.

Stephen gave a weak smile at her, but she noticed he didn't look too pleased. Luna wasn't sure whether this was because of the magic or because the birds were seated on him. She decided on the latter and shooed the birds off his shoulders.

The ice creams arrived at that moment, and so they stopped talking about magic for a while. Luna soon started the conversation up again though. "Why don't you like magic?"

Stephen shrugged. She thought he wasn't going to answer until he said, "My father taught me it was wrong. And it is," he said as an afterthought. Luna rather thought that it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"Not all magic is bad," Luna argued. "There are spells that can save people's lives, or improve them. Yes, some people use magic for evil- but some people use weapons for evil. It just depends on the user."

Stephen didn't reply to that. Luna watched him play with spoon in his ice cream for a few minutes before deciding to break the silence again. "Anyway, you can't call me a demon just because I can do things most humans can't do. I bet most humans don't have the strength or reflexes you have."

"I'm not a demon!" Stephen said vehemently. A few people turned to look at them.

"I didn't say you were," said Luna as if nothing unusual had happened. "But you can't call me one either."

"Fine," said Stephen, a bit sulkily.

While she was on a winning streak Luna decided to ask a few more questions. "Why did you let me go? And apologise?"

Stephen's eyes dropped down to his spoon and he shrugged again. "Yesterday...you seemed nice. A bit strange, maybe, but nice. My...father said that demons came in many forms. I didn't think you were one but I had to check."

"What made you realise I wasn't one?" Luna asked curiously.

Stephen laughed. It was a strange laugh- it sounded as if he didn't use it much. "No demon could be as clueless as you."

He must have sensed Luna's embarrassment, because he continued, "It's not that you're clueless per se; just about fighting and...confrontations."

"Oh." That cheered Luna up a bit. She gave a smile. Suddenly something occurred to her. "How did you learn so much about demons? And about fighting?"

"My father."

Luna assumed it was an answer to both questions. "Where's your father now?"

"Dead."

"I'm sorry!" Luna bit her lip. She really shouldn't be asking all these questions- it was rude. She was really curious though, and the question slipped out before she could stop it. "How? Oh, I'm sorry, you don't have to-"

"Doesn't matter," Stephen interrupted. "A vampire killed him." He looked broodingly at his ice cream again.

"A vampire?" repeated Luna. "We learn about those at school. In fact-" she suddenly stopped. If a vampire had killed Stephen's father then it was probably best not to mention Drusilla.

"It was Angelus." Stephen's face had a funny look on it. Luna had seen the look on Quidditch players a thousand times before- Stephen was going to avenge his father even if he died doing it.

Wait...

"Did you say Angelus?" Luna asked, eyes wide. "But I thought he had a soul."

"He's still a vampire, soul or no." The look on Stephen's face made Luna swallow the debate that had instantly sprung up on the tip of her tongue.

"He said he didn't do it, but I know he did."

"You've met Angelus?" Luna asked, awed.

A smirk flicked across Stephen's lips before he said, "I sunk him to the bottom of the ocean.'

Luna stared in horror at Stephen. "You what?" she whispered.

Stephen looked back up at her at the tone of her voice. "You're just as shocked as the others. I don't see why you don't understand- he's a vampire. He deserved worse."

"I-I-" Luna gave a gulp. She knew she had to tread carefully here. She didn't need to upset Stephen more than she already had. "Did you hear his side of the story?"

"He said he didn't do it." Stephen repeated, "but I know the truth."

"Look, Stephen," Luna began. She hesitated at the expression on Stephen's face and looked down at her ice cream so she couldn't see him. Cautiously she continued, "My mother's dead. I knew what you're going through. But...maybe you went a bit too far to take revenge on your father's _possible_ killer." She stressed the word possible, and chanced a look up at Stephen's face.

He looked angry. "I know it was him." Stephen hissed.

"Did he have a motive?"

Stephen nodded, but he didn't elaborate. This time Luna held in her curiosity and didn't ask.

"Is he...is he still down there?"

Luna half-dreaded the answer, and she was relieved when Stephen savagely shook his head. "No. His _friends_ got him out." Stephen sounded bitter.

"If he _was_ innocent, what would you do?" Luna asked curiously.

"He's not!" Stephen said, scowling at her. Luna felt like she was speaking to a brick wall.

"I'm speaking hypothetically," Luna explained, trying to be patient. "What would you do if you sank an innocent man to the bottom of the ocean?"

Stephen didn't look overly regretful. "Even if he didn't kill my father, he killed plenty of others."

"Not as Angel, but," Luna reminded him.

Stephen shrugged. "They share the same body."

"But not the same mind." Luna said earnestly. "What would you do then?"

Stephen was silent. Luna could practically see the clogs in his head ticking over. "I know it was him," he whispered, repeating his mantra under his breath. He was trying to convince himself, Luna realised.

She ate a spoonful of the ice cream and waited for Stephen to come up with an idea. She had almost finished her ice cream when he said, "I have no idea."

"Would he forgive you, do you think?"

The ends of Stephen's mouth twitched upwards in an ironical smile. "He already has."

Stephen walked her home. Luna wasn't sure that it was a good idea, given that Stephen seemed to be prone to psychotic episodes. She had thought for a moment that maybe that night he'd come back and murder her in her bed, just like the killer on the crime show she'd watched on the television the night before. Her voice of reason (the one she'd nicknamed Hermione) told her to stop being silly, though, and for once Luna decided to listen to it. So, she let Stephen walk her home and arranged for them to meet outside Madam Mayfair's the next day.

Luna would be lying if she said that the main reason she wanted to spend more time with Stephen was because she liked him. No, she wanted to spend more time with him because she wanted to know about Angel. Angel would lead her to Drusilla, she knew, and she desperately wanted to find her aunt (several times removed). That Stephen was quite good-looking was only an extra, though the fact that he appeared to be a little unbalanced evened that out.

She didn't tell Wesley about Stephen. He seemed like the worrying type, and so he'd probably want to meet Stephen first. That was not a good idea, considering Stephen was a little too free with his fists and would probably start talking about demons at the slightest hint of anything unusual. Luna didn't want Wesley's sweet Muggle illusions to be shattered, so she told Wesley that evening that she would be going on a sight seeing tour the next day.

"Wonderful!" Wesley enthused.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," Luna said dreamily, stabbing a piece of steak with her fork viciously. She saw Wesley blink as she daintily lifted the fork to her mouth. Ginny always joked how her eating habits were strange, but Luna always liked to check that what she was eating was quite dead before she placed it in her mouth. There were quite a few animals that could survive being roasted, after all, and it never hurt to check.

"So...where are you going?"

Luna stiffened. Where was she going? "Umm..." she searched around frantically for a place to go. Then she remembered the brochure about LA Hermione had pushed into her hand before the plane had left. A picture jumped out at her. "To the...er..." What did they call it again? "Letters. Yes, to the letters!"

Wesley stared at her for a moment before comprehension dawned. "Oh, the Hollywood sign!" He gave a little chuckle and Luna smiled in relief. He didn't seem as if he thought anything was wrong.

"Then where?"

Luna's smile wobbled a bit. "I'm not exactly sure," she said, and gave a beaming smile. It was a very good imitation of the airheads at school, and Luna hoped that Wesley would just think her a typical teenage girl and not give another thought to her vagueness.

Wesley gave another nod and looked back down to his steak. Luna thanked Merlin that Muggles could be so dense sometimes. No wonder they were always imagining reasons for things that were perfectly ordinary, like shrinking keys.

Luna paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. Perfectly ordinary things had just given her a brilliant idea. Something that was perfectly ordinary to her, like her book about invisibility that was actually invisible, would be incredibly strange to Muggles. If she could just pretend that she was a Muggle who'd inadvertently found this mystical object, then perhaps she could trick Angel Investigations into looking into her case. It would give her an opportunity to spy on Angel without having to go into dark alleys, and she'd have direct contact with him.

"Are you alright, Luna?" Wesley was staring at her again, and Luna realised she was still holding her fork in mid-air.

"I'm perfectly wonderful."

&&&&&

There was only one problem with her plan, Luna realised later as she lay in bed. She had a funny feeling that Stephen would easily be able to find out that she'd gone to Angel, and as he hated him she doubted he'd be pleased with her.

Obviously Luna would have to tell him. But he already knew she was a witch, and so he'd probably wonder why she needed help understanding something that was normal to her. In which case, Luna decided, she would have to make up another story for Stephen to believe.

She felt bad already, and she was still planning the lie she would say to Stephen. But Luna knew he hated vampires with a passion, and she'd only met him a few times. It didn't seem very unlikely that he would let her try and find Drusilla.

Did it?

They were walking. They weren't holding hands or anything soppy like that. Anyway, the more time she spent with him the more Luna was sure Stephen didn't know how to soppy even if his life depended on it.

Luna and Stephen had been walking for a while, but Luna had neither taken notice of the scenery nor worked out how to talk to Stephen about her plan. It was almost lunchtime when she broached the subject. "How do you feel about family, Stephen?" Luna's heartbeat began to beat faster as Stephen opened his mouth to answer. What he said would determine how her plan went.

He gave her a funny look before he answered, as if he knew she was nervous. Luna pasted a brave smile on her face and waited for him to speak.

"I think that family is...important," he said slowly, spotting a bench by the pavement. He walked over to it, still speaking. Luna hurried to catch up. "But family is more than just blood."

He thought family was important. That was a good sign, but Luna was still unsure about what plan to go for. Plan A was simple: she'd tell Stephen the truth about Drusilla and why she was here in LA. Plan B was a little different.

"What would you do if one of your family was turned?" Luna asked curiously, sitting down on the bench next to Stephen.

His face closed up, but he shrugged offhandedly. "Staking them would be the kindest thing. They aren't your relatives any more- just shells." He smiled grimly.

Luna gulped. Okay. Plan A was definitely out then.

"Why did you ask?"

Luna took a deep breath and began her 'explanation'. "When you told me about what happened to your father, I felt really awful for you. But at the same time I didn't think that Angel did it. I would really, really like to be able to find out the truth, and I think I've worked out a way that just might do that."

"No."

Whatever reaction Luna had been expecting, it hadn't been that. "N-No?" She repeated, her face falling. "But..."

"I said no." Stephen's voice was dangerously calm, and Luna was filled with a sudden sense of apprehension.

"Just hear me out first," Luna ventured timidly, the image of Stephen killing the demonic crab flashing through her mind. "Angel can investigate a case of mine, only the case isn't real, and then I can see if he killed your dad or not-"

"I said no!" Stephen snarled, and Luna stopped talking immediately. "I do not want you interfering with my life or coming near my fa- I mean, Angel. I haven't meddled in your witch stuff- so do the same for me and stay out of my life."

"We've only known each other a few days," protested Luna weakly. "How do I know what you think of my being a witch?"

Stephen didn't answer but he stood up and Luna knew the conversation was over. "This morning was very enjoyable," Stephen told her rather formally, and Luna could tell that beneath his smooth exterior he was angry with her. "Perhaps I will see you again."

"Yeah," Luna muttered softly, watching Stephen walk quickly away. "Perhaps." In another lifetime, perhaps. He seemed to be so angry with her that she doubted they'd ever see each other again. She didn't get it- what exactly had she said wrong? A few rehearsed lines about his father and wanting to find out the truth, that was all. They were nothing to fly into a rage about.

Luna gave a deep sigh and slumped down on the bench. Looked like she'd have to follow Plan C, a mixture of her other plans. Plan C was riddled with holes and now that she and Stephen were on the outs it was going to be very hard not to be exposed as a fraud. Still, on the upside she wouldn't be deceiving Stephen any more. Sure they'd only known each other a few days but Luna hated to lie to anybody, even if it was practically a stranger.

As she began to walk back to Wesley's apartment Luna reflected on what Hermione would say on all of this. Hermione would probably blast her for being so open with a Muggle like Stephen, and then point out all the things that could go wrong with her plan. As to Stephen himself, Luna could just imagine Hermione telling her that she should never have made friends with the wacko anyway and she was better off without him.

Luna knew what it felt like to be called a wacko. She'd been called wacko, loony, weird, and creepy more times than she could count, but she knew inside that she wasn't any of them. If she wasn't strange, then maybe Stephen wasn't either.

&&&&&

TBC...


	6. Losing The Tune

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 6/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl, so the plot belongs to her.

A/N: Okay, a few people have asked about the timeline. Well, it's set in season four, but that Connor/Cordelia thing never happened. Ick. Anyway, Cordelia came back from her higher dimension, basically the same as she left. Confusing? Hopefully not, but I couldn't think of any other period in which my Luna/Connor pairing would work.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 6-

Losing The Tune

The Hyperion Hotel was intimidating. Scary even.

Or maybe it was just scary because Luna knew that it was where Angel lived.

Regardless of why the building was scary, it was, and in a matter of minutes Luna would have to step through those big doors and become a client of Angel Investigations.

Tucked into her backpack was her copy of the _Encyclopaedia of Magical Creatures_. It was the only thing Luna had with her that was magical, as Hermione had specifically told her not to bring anything in case her luggage was searched. But Luna couldn't resist bringing what was essentially her Bible.

The Encyclopaedia was the largest tome Luna had ever seen- it was even bigger than Hogwarts: A History. It barely fitted in her backpack, and she'd taken everything else out of it. The book had definitions of almost every creature known to man. Hermione called it the Encyclopaedia of Magical Hogwash, but that was only because she thought that over three quarters of the creatures listed were not real. Well, had Luna news for her- the night before she'd gone through the entire book and found the demonic crab, something that Hermione had had trouble believing about when she'd first flipped through the book.

That wasn't the reason why Luna had brought the book to Angel Investigations; all the pictures moved, and when one touched a finger on some of them the reader was pulled into the picture. The Encyclopaedia was on the Ministry's list of banned books for that reason, but this copy had been in the Lovegood family for generations and they'd never bothered to hand it in to the appropriate authorities. Apparently some unfortunates had been sucked in to the picture of the All Consuming Beast and had been (unsurprisingly) consumed. Why was that a reason for the book to be banned? If people were careful with the pictures then they had nothing to worry about. The Ministry of Magic, however, did not take Luna's stance on the Encyclopaedia, and so Luna's copy was possibly the only remaining one left in private hands.

The backpack was a heavy weight on her back, and it was actually rather reassuring. It provided Luna with support as she pushed open the doors of the Hyperion and stepped inside.

It was quite dark, and so it took Luna's eyes a few moments to adjust. She supposed it was dark so Angel could walk around in the daytime, but she thought they could've installed electric lights for those whose eyesight wasn't quite up to vampire standards. Obviously being considerate wasn't a prerequisite for being a private detective.

The spacious foyer made her footsteps echo as she walked and Luna had to admit that the Hyperion definitely had atmosphere, even if it did seem a little rundown.

"Hello!"

Luna jumped as she heard a woman's voice, and she turned around in a tight circle, trying to locate the sound. There were little goose bumps on her arms and Luna wished she wasn't so well –Ravenclaw- and more Gryffindor. Finally she spotted the outline of a woman against a doorway and she blushed with embarrassment at being so scared. "Hello."

"Can I help you?" The woman came out of the office and Luna could see her properly. She was tall and thin, and Luna automatically felt frumpy. Her accent, Luna noticed, though still American was markedly different from those of everybody else she'd met thus far. It was Texan, perhaps. Something Southern anyhow.

"Yes, actually, you can," said Luna, remembering what she came for. As she swung the heavy backpack off her shoulder, Luna reminded herself to act like a Muggle. "Clueless," Luna whispered under her breath.

"Pardon?" the Texan woman had stepped closer and had obviously heard what Luna had muttered. She had a puzzled expression on her face. Luna had found that that expression was common when people talked to her. She had no idea why, though.

"Nothing," Luna covered her mistake hurriedly, and held her backpack out to change the subject. "I heard you helped in…strange stuff. The paranormal."

The woman beamed, and she instantly became businesslike. "We sure do! We help the helpless, that's our motto." Her expression changed to become one of motherly concern. "Are you helpless?"

"Kind of," Luna gulped. It was time to switch to Muggle mode. "This is going to sound really strange…"

"We specialise in strange," the woman told her reassuringly, as if the fact that they dealt in weird things was going to comfort Luna. "I'm Fred, by the way. Winifred actually, but Fred is so much shorter and easier to say, don't you agree?"

Luna nodded, a little shell-shocked. This was Fred, the woman who Hermione's research had said was as smart as Hermione herself? Luna had been expecting someone a little more…masculine.

"Come and sit down and tell me all about it, sweetie," Fred told her kindly, motioning to the office she'd come out of with a hand.

"Thank you," Luna said softly, and followed Fred to the office. It was plainly furnished, and Luna 's attention was immediately drawn to the only interesting piece of furniture in it, the table. There were mostly files and papers strewn all over that, but there was something silver on top of them. It took her a moment to realise what it was, and when she did she felt as if she'd stepped into another world. They had weapons lying around as if they needed them near at all times…that was a little bit scary. When Fred asked her a question, she had to wrench her gaze away from the ornate dagger lying on the desk to answer. Fred noticed the direction of her gaze and hurriedly pushed it under some files. "A toy," Fred explained, laughing nervously. "Now what can I do for you?"

Luna sat down in a seat opposite Fred and heaved her backpack onto her lap. "I was looking through the attic when I found this book," Luna unzipped her bag and with a bit of difficulty heaved the book in question out. Fred's eyes lit up and Luna giggled a little nervously. "I know this sounds odd, but the pictures move, and I was watching a fly land on one of them and," Luna paused for effect and Fred leaned forward slightly, "it _disappeared_."

Fred's forehead creased. "Disappeared?"

Luna nodded gravely. "Yes." She flipped through the book and pointed out the exact picture.

"Amazing," breathed Fred, leaning forward to get a better look at the Disembowelling Demon.

"Careful," warned Luna, pleased to see that she'd believed her story so far. "You don't want to touch it, else you'll be pulled in as well."

Fred blanched and hastily moved back. "So, Miss…?"

"Lovegood," Luna answered promptly, "Luna Lovegood."

"What do you want us to do, Luna? You didn't come out all the way from England to ask this, did you?"

"No," said Luna, shaking her head. "But you see, I'm on holiday here, and someone at home suggested that I while I was here I should come and ask your advice."

Fred looked chuffed. "You mean our reputation is known in England?"

Luna nodded and tried not to look guilty. It wasn't a total lie, she reasoned; someone in England must have heard of Angel Investigations.

"Wow." Fred grinned, but her gaze wondered back to the book in Luna's hands. "But I'm still unsure about what you want us to do."

"Well, you see," explained Luna, her eyes widening, "the fly wasn't the only thing that fell into the pictures." Luna tried to look mournful. "My cousin was sent up to the attic to fetch a box, but he never returned. We suspect he opened the book and touched a picture."

Fred gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! How tragic!"

Luna nodded, and gave a sniff. "Yes. My family have tried to find him, but they never thought of contacting a detective agency. I thought perhaps I could surprise them by finding him. If they don't know what I'm doing then they can't be disappointed if we find nothing."

"We'll try our very best," Fred promised seriously. "What's your cousin's name?"

"Name?" repeated Luna stupidly. Oops- she'd forgotten that little detail. She racked her mind for a boy's name and said the first thing that entered her brain. "Stephen."

"Don't you worry, Luna, we'll find Stephen. This case will become our main priority."

"Thanks," said Luna, a little overwhelmed at their eagerness to take on her case. She really hadn't expected them to take her so seriously.

"I'll introduce you to Angel and the rest of the team right now," Fred said, standing up. Luna did the same after tucking the book back into her bag. "We'll get started pronto."

"I'll do anything I can to help," Luna told Fred as she followed her out of the office. "Stephen is my cousin after all."

"Fair enough," said Fred. "We won't stop you, but this is a very dangerous business."

"I won't get in your way," said Luna. "I promise."

They crossed the foyer and made their way down into the basement. Luna's heart was thudding rather painfully. In moments she would meet Angel, the man –vampire, actually- responsible for murdering her ancestors and turning her aunt several times removed.

She'd never been more nervous in her entire life.

What would he look like? Would he know who she was? Or would he-

Fred opened the basement door and all Luna's thoughts flew out the window. The basement had been converted into some kind of training room, with dummies, pommel horses, and weapons hanging on the wall. The four people lounged around the room had been talking, but at her entrance they'd fallen silent and were looking at her curiously.

"Hey guys," Fred said easily in the sudden silence. "This is Luna Lovegood, our new client." She pushed Luna forward gently.

Luna smiled nervously. "Hi." Her eyes flicked around the group. There was a tall black man, a pretty woman who was leaning against a pommel horse, and a man who Luna knew must be Angel. He was tall, solidly built, with brown hair. Luna didn't look at him for more than a second, as she didn't want to draw attention to herself, but his face imprinted itself on her brain. Her eyes moved to the fourth member of the group and she gave a start.

Fred laughed and laid a hand on her shoulder. "This is Lorne," she introduced, and the demon waved at her. "Hi, Sugar."

"Hello," said Luna confusedly. Angel Investigations employed a demon. A green demon with red horns.

"He's friendly," Fred said with a grin, as if reading her mind.

"As harmless as a kitten," Lone smiled. "Now Angelcakes here-" he patted Angel on the shoulder, "now this kitten was claws."

"What can we do for you, Miss Lovegood?" Angel said, ignoring Lorne.

Luna was entranced. Angel, one quarter of the Scourge of Europe, terror of the demon underworld (and the world in general) had just spoken to her, Luna Lovegood. Luna Lovegood, insignificant being and nerd of Hogwarts, had just been asked a question by Angel. Fred have her a little nudge and Luna realised that she'd been entranced just a little too long. She gave a weak smile at the four people staring curiously at her before plunging into her tale.

As she ended her story she looked around to see three faces, pity plainly shown on their features. Only Angel seemed relatively unmoved by her story.

"How did you get the book from England to here without your family noticing it was missing?" he asked suspiciously, brown eyes narrowing.

Luna blinked in surprise at the question, but she had an answer ready. "My family locked it in a trunk, and it was very easy to open. I don't think that they're going to open up the trunk and discover it's missing anytime soon."

"I told her we'd make this case our priority," Fred cut in. "Seeing as we're kind of familiar with parallel dimensions and that stuff." There was an uncomfortable pause after this statement, and Luna couldn't help noticing that there seemed to have been a sudden drop in temperature.

Lorne eventually broke the silence. "Well, mooncalf," he said, addressing Luna with a smile. "You know Fred and I, but everyone else has yet to be introduced."

The woman picked up on Lorne's less than subtle hint to change the subject. "I'm Cordelia Chase," she said, smiling at Luna. "Secretary for that musclebound brute." She pointed at Angel. "He's Angel, by the way. And he," Cordelia's finger swivelled around to point at the black man, "is Gunn."

"Gun?" Echoed Luna. Wasn't that a type of Muggle wand?

Gunn grinned, misinterpreting the reason for her confusion. "My full name's Charles Gunn, but only Fred calls me Charles."

"Girlfriend privilege," said Fred, giggling and exchanging a look with Gunn.

"Oh spare us," muttered Cordelia, rolling her eyes. She caught Luna looking at her and grinned. "You'll get used to us, soon."

"I've never gotten used to them," Lorne told her in a stage whisper, and Luna giggled.

"We're not that bad, Lorne," Fred protested, and Luna was reminded of Dumbledore's Army. There was that same sense of camaraderie, of family. The faces of Ginny, Hermione and even Neville flashed before her, and Luna felt the first pangs of homesickness shoot through her.

Fred must have caught sight of the look on her face, for her smile instantly faded. "We'll start now," Fred told Luna, placing an arm around her shoulder and leading her back up the stairs. Don't you worry about a thing- Stephen will be back before you know it."

&&&

Luna was beginning to get a little worried. Angel Investigations were throwing themselves into this case, and sooner or later they were going to realise that some things just didn't add up.

When they found out that she'd practically wasted their time, Luna doubted they'd be happy. On the upside, she'd managed to spend some time with Angel.

But her original plan was not going as she'd imagined it to be. Angel Investigations had believed her story hook, line and sinker, and they were far more interested in researching and making plans than they were about idle chitchat. She supposed she ought to be proud of how good an actress she was. Gilderoy Lockhart would certainly be proud of her. He'd always said how her blonde hair was only slightly less striking than his own, and perhaps, just perhaps, she might have potential. Acting abilities aside though, things were not going as planned.

Not to mention the fact that she'd found more questions than answers.

There was something seriously odd going on between the members of Angel Investigations, and Luna would have had to have been blind not to have noticed. There were strange silences, just like the one when Fred had mentioned other dimensions. And there was also the matter of Angel's son. She'd wrangled that bit of information out of Fred as they'd gone down to get something called tacos. Incidentally, they were actually rather nice, but Luna was too caught up in the slip of info Fred had told her to concentrate on the taste. She hadn't said much- a few mutters about Angel's son and how he'd been taken away from him.

Luna was more observant than people thought her to be.

Other Dimensions Missing Child ?

The answer was obvious, and Luna didn't need Hermione to spell it out for her. That was why Angel seemed so touchy about her case. Even the name, Stephen, made him scowl, though she didn't know why.

She'd overheard various conversations, and she knew that Angel's son had come back from this other dimension, and tried to kill him. She'd also heard from her hiding place behind a potted plant that one of Angel's friends had been the one to betray him, to take his son away from him. Fred and Lorne had walked off at that moment, and so Luna had never been able to find out the friend's name, though it did sound as if Angel had forgiven him.

And she'd thought Hogwarts was a hotbed of gossip.

Luna was jolted out of her thoughts by Lorne's voice. "Er, pardon?" Luna asked, blushing a bit at being caught unawares.

"I said, sweetie, maybe you'd like to sing for us? You know, break the monotony a bit."

Luna shook her head with a grin. "I'm not a very good singer."

"Everyone can sing well when they try," said Lorne. "Except maybe Angel."

Luna hesitated. She hadn't been lying when she said she was a bad singer. But on the other hand, why not? It would be fun. "Okay. But I don't know what to sing."

Lorne gave a shrug. "Doesn't matter what you sing, only how you sing it."

Luna thought for a moment. She didn't know many Muggle songs, but would it really matter if she sang a wizarding one? They wouldn't know. "Alright then. I warned you though- I'm a terrible singer." Luna took a deep breath and started singing. She was a little wobbly at first, but as Luna got further into the song she became more confident. The song itself was one of her favourites, a little ditty her mother had sung to her at night to get her to sleep.

As she finished Fred, Gunn and Cordelia burst into applause. "I thought you said you couldn't sing," Fred accused, her eyes twinkling.

"I wasn't that good," Luna said, blushing. She turned to Lorne. He was sitting very still, and he hadn't clapped with the rest when she'd finished. Luna's smile faded when she saw how grave his face was. She gave a little gulp, and suddenly she wished she hadn't sung.

"I think you've got a bit of explaining to do, missy."


	7. We Are All Moon Children

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 7/?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belong to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl, so the plot belongs to her.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 7-

We Are All Moon Children

"Explaining?" Luna repeated, her eyes widening.

Lorne nodded. "You see, sweetie, I'm a demon that can read people through their singing."

"Oh." Luna cringed. Lorne knew everything, then. Her plan had been shot to pieces. But a demon that could read people's minds or their future? That was amazing. Perhaps her father could do an article on Lorne for the Quibbler-

"What explaining does she need to do?" interrupted Angel, and Luna was brought back to the present.

Lorne gave Luna a very hard look, and Luna blushed in embarrassment. "I think you need to tell him everything, poppet," Lorne said, and Luna gave a reluctant nod. Where did she start? Luna decided to begin with the easiest explanations first. "I don't actually have a cousin," she said at last.

"You don't?" said Gunn in amazement.

"No." Luna began to fidget uncomfortably. "And er…no-one in my family fell through the book."

There was a long silence and Luna could feel five sets of eyes looking at her curiously, waiting for an explanation. "You see…I go to this school in Scotland called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's for people with magic to go and learn how to control it," said Luna, not ready to go into more details.

"What's Dogwarts got to do with us?" said Cordelia suspiciously. "And by the way, Dogwarts is so not an attractive name for a school."

"It's Hogwarts," corrected Luna, annoyed, "and I'll explain if everyone stops butting in. In my History of Magic class we had to do an assignment on one of our ancestors. I discovered that mine had been turned by a vampire named Angelus."

"What?" Everyone seemed to shout out at once. They all wore varied expressions- Gunn and Fred looked shocked, while Cordelia seemed angry. "How can you be sure?" she asked suspiciously. "They could have been turned by anyone, you probably just pulled that name out of a hat-"

Luna waited until everyone but Angel had had a chance to say something. She turned to the vampire sitting alone at the edge of the table. He looked tired, Luna realised, tired and weary. "Who was it?" he asked heavily.

"Drusilla."

If Luna's first statement had caused the room to erupt into noise, then this one caused it to instantly fall into silence.

"That's impossible," Angel said, his face blank of all emotions. "Her whole family was killed."

Luna shook her head smugly. "No, you missed a sister. She was at boarding school when everyone else died. I'm descended from her."

"Why did you come here, then?" said Cordelia harshly, her eyes narrowing. "To make Angel feel guilty all over again?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "No, don't be stupid. I came to ask him if he knew where she was." Luna said matter-of-factly, as if her answer should have been obvious.

Angel blinked slowly as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "You want to know where she is."

Luna nodded eagerly. "Yes. I want to meet her, see." At Angel Investigations' horrified looks, she continued, "Well, she is my ancestor, and I'm awfully curious about her."

Angel gave an empty laugh. "She's not your ancestor. She's a demon that inhabits your ancestor's body. Even if I knew where she was I wouldn't tell you- Drusilla would eat you on sight."

"No, I don't think so," Luna replied thoughtfully. "She must've known that one of her sisters was still alive, yet she never killed any of us. I don't see why she'd start now."

"You are as insane as she was," Cordelia remarked, sitting on the edge of the table. "If one of my family was turned, I'd want to get away as fast as possible."

"You're not a Lovegood," Luna answered, as if being a Lovegood explained everything.

"Thank God for that," said Cordelia dryly. "I can do without being related to a psycho."

"Drusilla is not a psycho," Luna said heatedly. "And even if she is, it's not her fault."

"You haven't met her, honey," Cordelia shrugged. "When you do, you'll be singing a different tune. Or possibly screaming one," she corrected.

Luna shook her head resolutely. Cordelia didn't understand. She felt as if she already knew Drusilla. The vampire was like an older version of herself.

Only she was dead and soul-less, but they were only minor differences.

"How did you get here? Where are you staying?" Fred asked, her shocked expression gradually giving way to a worried one. "You're not staying here on your own, are you? 'Cos LA's really dangerous."

Luna smiled at her. "No. I got here by plane and I'm staying with the uncle of one of my friends. He's called Wesley Wyndham-Pryce."

For the second time in a matter of minutes there was a deathly silence.

"Wesley Wyndham-Pryce?" Fred whispered, her big eyes wide.

Luna nodded; blissfully unaware of the impact of her words. "Yes. Do you know him?"

"He works here."

All five members of Angel Investigations were exchanging looks that Luna couldn't quite decipher. Luna blinked, finally realising that something wasn't right. "What's the-" Suddenly she realised the truth, as if it had been right in front of her the whole time and she'd been blind. "Wesley was the one who betrayed you, wasn't he?" she asked clearly, her eyes staring straight at Angel. Slowly he nodded.

"I'm sure he had a good reason. Wesley seems very reliable. Lots of common sense, I thought."

"I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing," said Gunn dourly. "Anyway, he works here now- everything's forgiven."

"Oh, that's good news. It seemed to me as if you had just judged him without a trial, if-"

"Stop with the lectures, Miss Agony Aunt," Cordelia said bitingly. "It's none of your business, and I want to get back to what is- your family and why you came here."

Luna sighed. "I told you already," she said, annoyed. "LA was the last known sighting of Drusilla, and so I thought Angel might know where she was."

"I don't," said Angel calmly, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Listen, Miss Lovegood, you don't want to meet Drusilla as much as you think you do. You found out all of your information through books and diaries and whatever else. You obviously haven't had any firsthand experience with her else you'd be running for the hills right about now."

Luna lifted her chin bravely. "Well then maybe you should tell me a bit about her and I could decide for myself."

The rest of Angel Investigations were watching Angel and Luna talk curiously. They didn't notice the figure leaning against the doorframe listening.

"Drusilla was a pious girl from Northern England, who Darla heard was a seer. I thought it would be fun to turn her, but first I made her go insane by killing her family, amongst other things. For a while the three of us cavorted around Europe, but Drusilla was bored and lonely, so she turned a poet called William. The four of us were the Scourge of Europe, the terror of the time. When I got my soul, Drusilla and Spike went off on their own, explored the world by themselves. They murdered and tortured thousands of innocent people, and they enjoyed it. Drusilla's not the innocent girl she was before she met me, Luna, and she's not the sweet little girl you've read about. Dru liked killing, still likes it. Whatever feelings she may have held towards her family are long gone now, and she won't have any qualms about killing you. In fact, she'll probably be smiling as she does it."

"I know about the stuff Drusilla did," Luna replied seriously. _And is probably still doing_. "But she wouldn't kill me, I know it. Don't ask me how, but I do. We're family, she and I, even though she's a vampire and I'm a witch. I came here to America to find her, and with or without your help I know that I eventually will. Drusilla is one of the only family members that I have left, and I'll to whatever it takes to find her."

"You'll regret it when you do," Angel said softly. "You don't understand- once you've been turned family means nothing."

Luna opened her mouth to say something, but a noise from behind her stopped her. She saw Angel glance up behind her, startled, and so she turned around, completely unprepared for the person standing by the door.

"Luna- my son, Connor," said Angel faintly from behind her. "Connor, I meant when the vampire has no soul they..."

Luna didn't hear what Angel said next. Her eyes were firmly fixed on Stephen. He looked torn, Luna noticed for some reason, torn and lost. His eyes were flicking between Angel and herself- hatred for Angel and, perhaps, betrayal when he looked at her? Luna couldn't be sure, but she felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. She shouldn't feel guilty, Luna reasoned, her eyes meeting Stephen's- or was it Connor's? He had reacted badly when she'd asked him about family, and he obviously hated vampires. She'd lied to him with the best of intentions, and he shouldn't be angry with her for doing it.

But if that was true, why did she feel so guilty about lying to him?

But, if his name was Connor, then that would make him Angel's son, the product of two vampires. And if he really _was _Angel's son, then that would mean that he lied to her as well. They were even then.

Her internal monologue was interrupted when Connor (Stephen?) opened his mouth and began to speak. "We've met," he said in a detached voice., and he didn't elaborate any further. Luna knew that that would be the only mention he'd make of having known her previously.

"I am sorry, Stephe-Connor," she said, confused. "But you see, it had to be done. She's family, and I'm sure you understand just what family means."

Connor stared back at her stonily, and he made no reply.

"You know each other?" Fred sounded confused. "How? I mean, Connor's not exactly…social," she said, with an apologetic look Angel's way.

"He saved me from a demon," Luna answered, not taking her eyes of Connor's face. "But I didn't know he was Angel's son until now."

"Oh," said Fred. "That was nice."

"Yes, extremely," replied Luna, struck with a sudden vehemence. "What a shame he didn't continue to be so kind," Why should she feel so guilty for something that wasn't entirely her fault? Connor had been the one who had been so…well, odd.

Connor said nothing after that statement, but his face steadily grew darker and Luna knew she had managed to offend him. _Well, good_, she thought triumphantly. _That'll teach him for thinking he can just bully me around._

There was a very uncomfortable pause as Connor and Luna continued to glare at each other.

Finally, Angel cleared his throat. "Regardless of whether or not you feel a 'bond' with Dru, Miss Lovegood," he said, the sneer on his face showing everyone what he thought of the idea, "I can't, in all good conscience, let you to gallivant off to your certain death."

"_Gallivant?_" she saw Fred mouth to Gunn behind Angel's back, and she stifled a grin. "I really don't think you need to worry, sir," Luna replied, remembering a very similar conversation a few weeks ago with Hermione. "And if anything goes wrong, which I don't think it will, I've got my magic to help me."

"Magic?" Angel raised an eyebrow. "You think your magic will save you if Dru decides she wants you as her next meal?" He laughed bitterly. "Dru is a psychic, a seer. She can ensnare you with her eyes so that you will obey her every will, even if you don't want to. She's killed plenty of adult wizards before, and a sixteen-year-old witch is not going to pose any threat to her."

For the first time Luna began to feel doubt creep in. Perhaps she'd been too foolhardy in wanting to find Drusilla. This was an insane, powerful vampire who had no concept of compassion or kindness. A century after she'd been killed, would family even matter to her anymore?

She'd made a terrible mistake in coming here.

Suddenly Luna frowned. What in Merlin's name was she thinking? She'd sworn to herself after her mother died to always follow what she believed in, and her father further reinforced this belief when he went exploring after things that supposedly 'didn't exist'. She wasn't going to let some grumpy vampire with an overhanging forehead barge in and change all her ideals! No, if she thought Drusilla wanted to see her, then Drusilla wanted to see her, and that, as they say, was that.

"Well," said Luna decidedly, holding her head up and looking Angel straight in the eye (though the height difference did make this rather hard), "You've been very helpful, but I'm afraid I have a long lost relative to find."

And with that parting comment, she walked as regally as she could manage out of the research room, leaving a stunned group of evil vanquishers behind.

"_Well_," said Fred, shock written all over her face. Then, having nothing else to say, she repeated, "_Well_."

"Insane," Cordelia said at last. "Completely, utterly insane. It must run in the family."

"Foolish," Angel said, putting his two cents in. "Drusilla will kill her."

Connor said nothing, but his gaze kept wandering to the door.

"I think we should keep an eye on her," Lorne said thoughtfully, and the rest turned to look at him curiously. He shrugged defensively. "I thought the little cupcake shouldn't be out there on her own. At least this way we can make sure she doesn't come to any harm."

Angel nodded contemplatively, thinking it over. "That's seems like a good idea. And we need to call Wesley too. I wager that he has no idea of his house guest's true agenda."

"I…I don't mind looking after her," Connor said unexpectedly, and they gaped at him. "It's not like I have anything else to do," he said, a faint blush rising on his cheeks as they continued to stare.

"Um...okay," said Angel uncertainly, obviously rather put off by his son's unusual willingness to help.

"Okay." Connor shifted uneasily on his feet as Angel continued to look at him with a baffled expression on his face. "I'll go now, then," Connor said, deciding to make a quick getaway whilst he still could.

&&&&&

Luna walked down the flight of stairs leading to the Hyperion foyer, outwardly calm. Inside though, she felt like a tangled mess. She'd stood up for herself! She hadn't really done that in…well, forever. And, despite her quickly beating heart and the butterflies still fluttering around in her stomach it had felt good.

But she was still left with the teensy weensy little problem of how to find Drusilla.

The floorboards creaked behind her, and Luna spun around, a hand going to her new wand. "Hello?" she called out, her eyes trying to see if there was anyone there.

Luna waited a few moments, but as no other sound was forthcoming she shrugged and turned back towards the foyer.

The foyer was empty, and Luna quickly crossed the space from the bottom of the stairs to the door. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and Luna turned around again so that she was facing the way she had just come. She was being watched, she knew it! "Who's there?" she called out clearly.

"Hello, my little moon child!"

The voice was unfamiliar, but Luna knew exactly to whom it belonged the moment she heard it. Slowly she turned back around to face the door, butterflies dancing in her stomach and the stalker behind her completely forgotten. It was probably Connor anyway.

The woman standing framed in the doorway was the same height as her, and had a willowy figure like her as well. But, Luna thought, that was where the similarities ended. Drusilla had long dark hair flowing loosely down her back, and large, slitted eyes that seemed to dominate her entire face. She was wearing a long, white dress in the Empire style, delicate and beautiful. There was some kind of unearthly magnetism about her, a type of mysticism that Trelawney, for all her gauzy fabrics and heavily rimmed eyes, could never hope to replicate.

All in all, Luna thought with a slight pang of jealousy, death had not lessened Drusilla's beauty in the slightest.

Drusilla's face lit up with a childlike smile, so innocent and happy that Luna felt one of her own tugging at her lips. "My little niece," she told Luna, walking towards her with effortless grace. "It is I, your Aunt Drusilla, come to look after you."

"Hi, Aunt Drusilla," Luna said awkwardly, as Drusilla stopped directly in front of her. Now that they were so close, Luna felt a tingle of apprehension. Was Drusilla going to kill her, as Angel had predicted she would?

Suddenly, Drusilla flung her arms around her. Startled, Luna returned the hug, a bemused look on her face.

After a moment, Drusilla pulled away and Luna gave her an uncertain smile. Drusilla beamed in reply, her eyes twinkling in a manner eerily reminiscent of Dumbledore.

"My Daddy put nasty thoughts about me in your head," Drusilla told her seriously, shaking her head mournfully. "But I shall not have you as my next meal, no, nor the one after that! We shall have fun together, my little moon child! Your auntie shall spoil you with lots of sweets and we shall have fun."

Drusilla looked expectantly at her, as if waiting for a reply to her little spiel.

"Uh…cool, Aunt Dru."

As Drusilla gently linked arms with her and they walked out of the Hyperion into the early evening, Luna's face split into a grin. She hadn't needed to find Drusilla- Drusilla had found her.

&&&&&

TBC…


	8. Sorrows Past and Present

TITLE: Our Family Secret  
FANDOM: HP/BtVS  
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower  
PART: 8?  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.  
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belong to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl, so the plot belongs to her.

A/N: This is a terribly boring filler chapter. My apologies also for the very long time between updates

Our Family Secret

Chapter 8-

-Sorrows Past and Present

"I was trying to find you," Luna told Drusilla shyly as they walked.

Drusilla smiled dreamily. "I know, my little moon child. The stars told me of your quest."

A quest. The new wording for her school project instantly made it sound more appealing, though she supposed it had been a quest, in a way; she'd had to first research Drusilla, then track her movements, and then finally find her. Luna had just worn robes and a pointy hat instead of a suit of armour, that was all.

Adrenalin had been pumping through Luna's veins ever since she'd first laid her eyes on Drusilla, and even now she was still feeling jumpy and hyped up. She'd done the impossible- she'd found her ancestor, and was actually walking down the street with her. Luna was still expecting herself to wake up and find out that it was all a dream; it all seemed so surreal. What would Hermione say when she found out?

She would probably die of a heart attack, Luna reasoned after thinking it over for a few moments, but not before she'd thoroughly berated Luna for taking too many risks.

There was nothing wrong with taking a few risks, thought Luna, as she turned slightly to look at Dru. Sometimes risks paid off, after all. Luna had just discovered a new aunt, another branch in her family tree, just because she'd acted like a reckless Gryffindor and taken a risk.

"Some chit-chat over scones and tea, little Luna?" Dru asked suddenly, and Luna nodded in acquiescence. She had lots of questions that needed answers, a multitude of queries that had been building up ever since she'd first glimpsed Drusilla's name on that dirty scrap of parchment. Chit-chat sounded like a good idea.

Of course, scones and tea had better not be some sort of vampire code name for humans and/or blood. Luna didn't think her newfound love for her aunt stretched that far.

Thankfully they didn't make their way towards some unsuspecting passers-by, but instead began to walk towards a small park. By now night had truly fallen, and Luna's eyesight could only make out blurry shapes and what the streetlights and headlights illuminated. The dark had never bothered Luna, though (nocturnal creatures were absolutely fascinating!), and the dense living conditions of LA and the pollution prevented it from becoming pitch black.

They meandered their way through trees and flowerbeds, making a wobbly figure of eight as Drusilla searched for the perfect spot in which to have her tête-à-tête. Finally Luna realised that they were making a beeline for an ancient oak tree that was growing away from the cluster of sycamores that dominated the middle of the small park.

"All by its onesies," Drusilla confided to her in a whisper, as if she didn't want to hurt its feelings. "Just like us."

Luna smiled. "We not by our onesies, Aunt Dru," she said, flopping ungracefully on the ground as her aunt elegantly arranged her skirts.

Drusilla did not answer, but she folded her hands on her lap and gazed at Luna with undisguised curiosity. "Tell me everything," she commanded, dark eyes wide and eager. "I wish for you to tell me what I have missed, tucked away in my cocoon."

"Okay, Aunt Butterfly," Luna said agreeably, crossing her legs into a more comfortable position. "But then you have to tell me everything back, like a kind of swap." Drusilla nodded quickly, and Luna cleared her throat impressively. "Okay. I guess I should start with the beginning, so, I guess I'll start with me.

"I'm in fifth year at school (that's Hogwarts, in case you haven't guessed), and I'm a Ravenclaw, like you."

Drusilla clapped her hands together delightedly and Luna grinned.

"The subjects I take are Charms, which I quite like; Transfiguration, which I would like if it wasn't so difficult; Potions, which is taught by the ugliest, greasiest git ever to grace the world; DADA, which is fun this year because everyone who was offered the job refused, and so we just have guest teachers or free periods instead; Care of Magical Creatures, which is my favourite class and, guess what? It's taught by a giant!" Luna became rather animated once she'd reached the topic of her favourite class. "He's very nice –a bit simple, sometimes- but really, really nice…plus he manages to smuggle in all these illegal or dangerous creatures so we can see what they're really like!"

Drusilla looked impressed. "Lots of fun to be had with those types of creatures," she said knowledgeably, and Luna nodded in agreement, though she didn't really want to contemplate on just how Drusilla had come into contact with illegal or dangerous creatures.

"And there's Divination, I suppose," Luna added after a moment's pause, as if she didn't really count Divination as a subject.

Drusilla raised an eyebrow and too late Luna remembered that she was a seer. "Not that's there's anything wrong with Divination," she said hurriedly, hoping she hadn't offended her. "It's just that there's actually two Divination teachers, and my class is taught by the really bad one. Her name's Professor Trelawney, and she's terrible- a real fraud. I would have much preferred Professor Firenze- he's a centaur, so he really knows his stuff."

Her aunt's forehead wrinkled slightly in a frown. "That is odd," she said, more to herself than to Luna. "They speak to the stars and the moon, staying shy of whippy wands and horrible hats. No witches for them, says they."

"I think his tribe threw him out," Luna ventured. At least, that was the reason that was circulating on the grapevine.

Instead of reassuring Drusilla, this news only served to deepen her frown. "Tut, tut," she whispered under her breath at last, so quietly that Luna had to strain to hear it. "Everyone is being naughty but they are not getting spanked."

Luna mouth tightened. That made absolutely no sense at all, but then again she supposed Drusilla was known for spouting nonsense. But really, was there any link between Firenze the centaur and getting spanked?

Luna decided not to dwell on the weird images that thought had caused, and so she continued with her explanation on the wizarding world in the 21st century. "My friends and I belong to this group called the DA- it stands for Defence Association or Dumbledore's Army." Luna mouth quirked upward as she thought of the DA. They were her first real set of friends, and in Luna's opinion a better group of friends couldn't be found anywhere.

"And your housemates?" Drusilla was looking at her with a remarkably shrewd look on her face. When Luna hesitated a moment before answering she gave a huff. "Those naughty children ought to get the cuts- smack, smack, smack!"

Luna grinned a little at Drusilla before quickly rising to their defence. "Nah. I don't really mind," she said, lying a little. After all, she very much doubted that Drusilla's mentions of smacking were meant to be taken literally, and as much as she hated her housemates she didn't want them to be subjected to Drusilla's idea of a punishment.

Drusilla shrugged in deference, but Luna had a feeling the subject would probably be brought up again. "And does Dumbledore's Army fight in the trenches and jab their bayonets at those nasty little black rats?" she asked, looking inquisitive.

Luna was thankful for the subject change. "Well, I don't know about any jabbing of bayonets," she said with a secretive smile. If Drusilla had thought to ask that question then no doubt she would already know the answer. "So that's me," said Luna, deciding to end the conversation there before Drusilla could ask any more questions Luna was in no particular hurry to answer. "What about you?"

Drusilla's mouth twisted in a mockery of a smile. "What about me?" she asked, leaning back slightly so that her back touched the bark of the tree.

"How…I mean…" Luna thought about how best to phrase her question, then decided bluntness was probably the way to go. "Why did you leave Hogwarts?"

Drusilla's head bobbed up and down, her eyes closed slightly as if in deep thought. Just when Luna wondered if she'd nodded off, Drusilla's eyes snapped open. Luna was slightly surprised (not to mention unnerved) when she noticed they were unexpectedly clear and lucid. "A very long story it is, little moon," Drusilla said slowly, obviously thinking which words would best describe her life. "I have a curse, you see. A gift, some people call it, a blessing to the gods' favoured.

"I do not believe them. It is a curse as dark as those which are written in Dark Magic books, a burden greater than one can ever imagine." Here Drusilla paused, a long, thin finger tapping lightly against her mouth as she deliberated her next statement. "My parents, too, thought it a curse and they tried everything to rid me of it. But they couldn't- no one can. When I got my letter they were happy to be rid of me, to be free of the harbinger of bad news that lived with them." Drusilla's smile wobbled slightly, and Luna hesitantly reached across to grab her hand. The vampire looked surprised for a moment before squeezing it lightly.

"No one wants to hear about the sorrows and pain that will be in their future, little moon. They want to dream of rainbows and flowers and stardust, and pretty things. Life isn't like that though- one stumbles instead from one tragedy to another. And so they hated me, because I tore away their veil and showed them what their lives would become."

"I'm sorry," Luna said, and she meant it. She loved her family deeply; to be rejected by them would be the greatest hardship she could ever endure. "But…it would have become better when you arrived at school, wouldn't it?"

"They debated for two years on whether to send me away to learn what they saw as the devil's arts. But then one day they said yes, and so I was sent away to Hogwarts." Drusilla looked down into her lap, where her hands were entwined with Luna's. "But it didn't get better, no, not at all."

"What…what happened?"

"When I came back for the holidays, they thought I was worse. Bad Drusilla, they said to me. Naughty girl. They did not let me go back."

Drusilla fell silent, and Luna didn't say anything to her. Instead of the satisfaction she thought she would've felt for finding out the truth she felt only pity for Drusilla. Her Sight had ruined not only her life, but also those of the people around her. She was right- the gift Patil and Brown so longed for was a curse.

They sat together under the tree, young and old, witch and vampire, until Luna heard the tolling of a nearby church.

"It's nine o'clock," she said, surprised. Had it really been that long? "Wesley will be worried."

Drusilla giggled, and nodded. "We are leading him on a merry chase, my niece!"

"I feel bad though; he's merrily chasing us and we're sitting under a tree talking." Luna wasn't surprised when Drusilla didn't reply to her statement. It was quite obvious that her brief moment of sanity had left, and with that any compassion she may have held for Wesley. "He won't let me see you again," Luna pressed on. She knew he would either lock her up in his apartment or put her on the first plane back to England, and although it seemed strange, Luna didn't want to leave her aunt.

This seemed to make an impact on Drusilla. "Oh no," she told Luna, a horrified look on her face. "He can't do that to us! We're family, and family are supposed to stick together."

Luna agreed. Drusilla's family may have treated her cruelly, but Luna would never do that. Blood was thicker than water, and the familial ties between them were strong, even though they were born one hundred and fifty year apart.

Suddenly Drusilla jumped to her feet, motioning for Luna to stand up as well. Sighing, Luna struggled to her feet, her joints protesting after being seated for so long.

"Come and live with me!" Drusilla said excitedly, holding her hands out in front of her. Luna cautiously grabbed hold of them; their cool temperature once more reminding her that Drusilla was not what she seemed. Giggling, Drusilla began to spin them around, faster and faster until the darkened park around them was just a blur.

"Stop!" Luna commanded her, laughing. Drusilla's moods reminded her very much of the tides- highs and lows, depression and happiness. She seemed to switch from each one rapidly, faster than Luna could blink. "Stop! Aunt Dru, stop!"

Still giggling, Drusilla released her hands, the momentum they'd built up causing them both to fall crashing to the ground.

"Merlin, Aunt Dru," Luna said, giggling all the same. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Drusilla was lying on her back on the grass, looking up at the stars, their shine dulled by the pollution. Luna watched her for a moment, the thin pale hands tracing patterns between the stars. In this contemplative mood she seemed as innocent as a child, but Luna knew that beneath that beautiful exterior, just under the surface, lay a demon and a killer. Those thin pale hands had snapped necks like twigs, left broken bodies in their wake.

Luna was becoming too complacent. Perhaps blood was thicker than water, and maybe they did have a familial bond, but just how far did all that stretch? If Drusilla became hungry would she remember that they were kin? Would she even care?

Drusilla began to hum to herself. Luna let the haunting melody of Greensleeves drift over her as she thought about Drusilla and her suggestion. For the first time Luna really, truly, thought about what she'd gotten herself into. She was sitting in the middle of a park at nine o'clock at night with an insane vampire. If things became so desperate that she needed to fight for her life, she wouldn't even have time to reach for her wand before Drusilla either killed her or put her under thrall. On the other hand, she could go with Drusilla to some abandoned warehouse or crypt where she would be completely at her mercy.

What a choice.

"Aunt Dru…" Luna began, her forehead breaking into a frown as she thought out what she was going to say. She was torn- half of her desperately wanted to go with Dru, but the other half was well, suspicious (to say the least). "I think that…well…I wan-"

Out of nowhere, an arrow struck the trunk of the tree with a very ominous-sounding _thump._

Luna shrieked and ducked behind the tree. Whipping out her wand from the waistband of her skirt, she fired off a spell into the darkness instinctively, without even bothering to think about which one to use. It seemed that the Dumbledore's Army training had come in handy after all.

Luna could vaguely make out the sounds of someone falling into a bush and someone else cursing. It seemed her stunning spell had hit its target.

"Run, little moon!" Drusilla hissed at her, joining Luna behind the tree trunk. Drusilla, Luna was curious to note, was wearing her vampire "face"- large ridges disfigured her forehead, her front teeth had elongated into fangs, and her large eyes had now become pools of molten gold.

Luna was struck with a strange urge to touch Drusilla' vamp face. Never had she been so close to a vampire before (well, there had been Angel, of course, but sometimes he acted so much like a human she forgot he wasn't). To Luna's surprise the true face of a vampire was not as ugly or hideous as it had been made out to be. There was a kind of primeval beauty held in those round ovals of gold that dominated Dru's face.

Drusilla slapped her shoulder lightly, urging her to run. Luna could hear scuffling in the bushes and knew whoever it was that was attacking them was getting closer. "I'm not leaving you here," Luna said, surprise herself with her own vehemence. Ignoring Drusilla's weak protests, Luna threw a leg-locker curse around the trunk of the tree. Not waiting to see if it had hit it's target, she fired off Ginny's speciality spell, the Bat Bogey Hex.

There was a sudden period of silence before someone screamed. Luna gave a very satisfied smirk and turned to Drusilla flushed with her success. She noticed with some pride that the vampire was looking rather impressed.

One of the large rhododendron bushes nearest to Luna rustled and Luna's slight grin fell away from her face instantly. "Come out where I can see you," she commanded, her own voice surprising her by not shaking.

Cordelia popped out from behind the bush, her hands up in the universal symbol of surrender.

Luna stared. The usually impeccable-looking woman had leaves in her hair and a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

"Cordelia?" Luna said, a frown beginning to creep across her face as a suspicion began to take form in her mind. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you." Cordelia said matter-of-factly, running her hands through her hair in an effort to restore some of her lost dignity. "Obviously."

Luna continued to stare at Cordelia. "I don't need rescuing," she told the older woman defensively, and she knew it was true. Her doubts about Drusilla were now gone; if Drusilla really wanted to kill her then she could've done it- instead she'd tried to protect her.

"I don't think you understand, Luna," said another voice, and Luna saw Wesley untangling himself from a rose bush. "She's dangerous," he continued, glaring at Drusilla.

"No, she's not." Luna told him firmly. "She's my aunt."

Wesley looked as if he were about to argue before he sighed. "We'll talk about this later," he told her. "First…er, I think you need to perform the counterspells…"

Luna took a few steps closer to Wesley and Cordelia so she could see the results of her handiwork behind the bushes. Fred was laying on the ground where she'd been hit by Luna's leg-locker curse. Luna felt a twinge of guilt and quickly uttered the counter-curse. "Sorry," she said with a blush as Fred struggled to her feet.

She also quickly removed the Tickling Charm from Gunn, who was lying on his side with his arms curled protectively around his stomach. "Awfully sorry," she whispered with a wince, as he took several gulping breaths.

However, Luna just could not stop a snort of laughter when she saw Angel, the unfortunate recipient of her Bat Bogey Hex. She somehow managed to utter the counter spell through her giggles and studiously looked at the ground as she scampered back to stand next to Drusilla. She could feel the weight of his glare on her back.

Luna had a feeling that the sight of Angel being battered around the head by his own boogies (now the size of bats and with wings to match) would haunt her dreams for many a night to come.

TBC…


End file.
